Children and Grief: When a Parent Dies

by J. William Worden

Drawing upon extensive interviews and assessments of school-age children who have lost a parent to death, this book offers a richly textured portrait of the mourning process in children. The volume presents major findings from the Child Bereavement Study and places them in the context of previous research, shedding new light on both the wide range of normal variation in children's experience of grief and the factors that put bereaved children at risk. The book also compares parentally bereaved children with those who have suffered loss of a sibling to death, or of a parent through divorce, exploring similarities and differences in these experiences of loss. A concluding section explores the clinical implications of the findings and includes a review of intervention models and activities, as well as a screening instrument designed to help identify high-risk bereaved children.

Genres: Grief, Psychology, Nonfiction

225 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Mr. Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive, informative, and devastating, Worden's text remains the best book about the child's experience of the death of a parent today. This book is not written to be evocative, yet I cried many times. It is powerful in its truthfulness and no punches pulled attitude toward describing the real affects of loss. Worden may not have intended to write a text which is so perfectly suited to the person-centred or attachment-oriented therapist when he compiled his research results into this book. Nevertheless, this book is just as suited to these therapists as it is to an adult caring for a children who has lost a parent or any adult looking back on a loss in their childhood. This rough ride of a read is strangely validating. I encourage you to read with a good friend or supportive partner a call away.

[Serena Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a solid foundation for understanding how children grieve the loss of a parent. Worden’s at-risk instrument is particularly useful in identifying children who may be more vulnerable to developing adverse behaviors. I would recommend this as a starting point, ideally paired with a more in-depth book that explores the impact of losing a mother or father specifically.

“Rather, the most important long-term impact may be their continuing sense of emptiness and an ongoing need to rethink who this parent would have been in their lives had he or she remained alive.”

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is a good book for those interested on the topic not for the faint of heart. It shows through longitudinal studies and interviews how children cope with their parents death.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talbot Course: Grief Counseling

Very interesting book from a legend in the field.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written based off of extensive research, which gives it validity. It's easy to understand and is quoted often in other research on bereaved children.