Work

Parentally Bereaved Children's Grief: Self-System Beliefs as Mediators of the Relations between Grief and Stressors and Caregiver–Child Relationship Quality

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: We investigated whether 3 self-system beliefs--fear of abandonment, coping efficacy, and self-esteem--mediated the relations between stressors and caregiver-child relationship quality and parentally bereaved youths' general grief and intrusive grief thoughts. Cross-sectional (n = 340 youth) and longitudinal (n = 100 youth) models were tested. In the cross-sectional model, fear of abandonment mediated the effects of stressors and relationship quality on both measures of grief and coping efficacy mediated the path from relationship quality to general grief. Fear of abandonment showed a marginal prospective mediational relation between stressors and intrusive grief thoughts. After excluding the mediators, relationship quality showed a direct prospective relation to intrusive grief thoughts.

Source: Death Studies

DOI: 10.1080/07481180802215551

Authors: Sharlene A. Wolchik, Yue Ma, Jenn-Yun Tein, Irwin N. Sandler, Tim S. Ayers

Institution: Arizona State University

Language: English

Topic: Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, National Institute of Mental Health