BEREAVEMENT DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE: MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES, SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AS MODERATORS, AND SUPPORTIVE RESPONSES TOWARD BEREAVED PEERS

Abstract

“Loss of a loved person is one of the most intensely painful experiences any human being can suffer” (Bowlby, 1980, p. 7). In the United States, approximately 13% of youth experience the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 25 (Burns et al., 2020). Factors that influence the prevalence of youth bereavement in the U.S. are less understood. Youth bereavement has been linked with mental health problems; few studies have examined social connections as potential moderators for this link or how peer support for bereaved youth might be enhanced. This collection of papers addresses these gaps. Paper 1 leveraged a nationally representative dataset (National Survey of Children’s Health; N = 109,265) and found that sociodemographic intersections differentiated the prevalence of caregiver death, and one proximal social connection moderated the association between loss and mental health outcomes. Paper 2 leveraged longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,898) to examine the impact of the death of close, important others broadly defined (“important loss”). Among youth who participated in the age 22 timepoint (N = 2,990), 65% reported having experienced an “important loss” between ages 15 and 22. These youth reported higher depressive symptoms at age 22. Although none of the proposed moderators were significant, two social connections assessed at age 15 were independently associated with lower depressive symptoms at age 22. Paper 3 examined how youth respond to a bereaved peer and examined how support can be enhanced through an experimental study with college students (N = 202). Attachment insecurities (avoidance and anxiety) predicted less supportive responses, whereas previous personal experience with loss predicted more supportive responses. Boosting felt security increased some supportive responses directly, and modified the links of both attachment insecurity and previous loss experience with supportive responses. Overall, these papers aimed to advance our understanding of youth bereavement and its impact on mental health outcomes by exploring whether the social environment plays a role in adaptation, and to provide insights into how to support youth navigate the painful experience of loss.