REFLECTIONS OF YOUNG ADULTS ON THE LOSS OF A PARENT IN ADOLESCENCE

Authors

  • Eva Apelian Montclair State University
  • Olena Nesteruk Montclair State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs83/4201718002

Keywords:

parentally bereaved, adolescents, coping, grief, qualitative, family stress

Abstract

This study explores the reflections of young adults on the experience of parental loss in adolescence. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling and personal connections from Montreal and New Jersey. Personal interviews based on in-depth, open-ended questions were used to examine how parentally bereaved children and their families were affected in the short term and into early adulthood. The use of resources, coping strategies helpful to the participants, and adaptation to the death were also explored. The findings of the study are discussed through the lens of the Double ABC-X model of family stress and adaptation. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) pile-up of stressors aggravates grieving; (b) benefits of social support; (c) coping strategies used by the participants; (d) adaptation to the loss of a parent — personal growth and maturation. Implications for future research and practitioners working with this population are discussed.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Eva Apelian, Montclair State University

Graduate, Department of Family Science and Human Development

Olena Nesteruk, Montclair State University

Associate Professor, Department of Family Science and Human Development

Downloads

Published

2017-12-22

How to Cite

Apelian, E., & Nesteruk, O. (2017). REFLECTIONS OF YOUNG ADULTS ON THE LOSS OF A PARENT IN ADOLESCENCE. International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies, 8(3/4), 79–100. https://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs83/4201718002

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3/4 (2017)

Section

Articles

License

Authors contributing to the International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 Unported license. This licence allows anyone to share their work (copy, distribute, transmit) and to adapt it for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given, and that in the event of reuse or distribution, the terms of this license are made clear.

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Rights Granted After Publication

After publication, authors may reuse portions or the full article without obtaining formal permission for inclusion within their thesis or dissertation. 

Permission for these reuses is granted on the following conditions:

  • that full acknowledgement is made of the original publication stating the specific material reused [pages, figure numbers, etc.], [Title] by/edited by [Author/editor], [year of publication], reproduced by permission of International Journal of Child, Youth & Family Studies [link to IJCYFS website];
  • In the case of joint-authored works, it is the responsibility of the author to obtain permission from co-authors for the work to be reuse/republished;
  • that reuse on personal websites and institutional or subject-based repositories includes a link to the work as published in the International Journal of Child, Youth & Family Studies; and that the material is not distributed under any kind of Open Access style licences (e.g. Creative Commons) which may affect the Licence between the author and IJCYFS.