Children's bereavement reactions following death of the father

Abstract

The war situation compelled a reinvestigation into the characteristics, course, the outcome, and the variety of bereavement reactions in early childhood. In this study, the behaviors and changes reported by the mothers and teachers of 24 normal kibbutz children over a period of 1 to 6 months after bereavement are presented. The findings lead to one clear and central conclusion: The death of a father in war brings about a severe stress situation for the child at both the preschool and the middle-childhood age. The abrupt disequilibrium created by the death itself and the resulting changes in the family place very difficult demands on the adaptation and coping capacities of the child.

In this sample of normal children with no special problems before the loss, ample evidence of acute emotional strain along with noticeable grief reactions were found in the early months of bereavement. A marked increase in the number and variety of symptomatic behavior changes testified to the seriousness of the threat to the child's sense of well-being after notification of the death. Ten of the 22 children between the ages of 2 and 10 years reacted to the trauma severely and were so markedly hindered in their daily functioning that psychological help was considered imperative. The disorganizing effect of the trauma of the loss of a father as reflected in this high percentage of disturbance in normal children indicates that without doubt a child who has lost a parent is a child at risk. It is therefore desirable if not imperative that there be more balance in the efforts to help bereaved families.