Ελληνική Κοινωνική Έρευνα -Greek Social Research

Aikaterini Samiotou, MSc The loss of a family member has been considered as one of the most stressful experiences (Holmes & Rahe 1967 cited by Clark & Goldney 2000). In a study that tested the adolescents’ perceptions and experiences around death and grief, the loss of a loved one was considered the most distasteful aspect of death (Morin & Welsh 1996). The term bereavement refers to “all the physiological, psychological, behavioural and social response patterns displayed by an individual following the loss of a significant person or thing” (Dunne et al. 1987, cited by Cvinar 2005). Bereavement is associated with increased rates of mood disorders in children and adolescents (Weller et al. 1991). One of the few studies that aimed to describe the characteristics of the children and adolescents after the suicide of their sibling presented them as being in a high risk for psychiatric symptomatology and social maladjustment (Pfeffer et al. 1997). According to the same study t...