Title: The Pain of Losing a Parent - Educational Leadership
Headings: The Shrink in the Classroom / The Pain of Losing a Parent
The Shrink in the Classroom / The Pain of Losing a Parent
A Diagnostic Perspective
Developmental Differences
Younger Children
Adolescents
It Ain't Easy
Endnote
KEYWORDS
Requesting Permission

Content: The discomfort and awkwardness that young people experience often leave them feeling lonely and unsure of how peers and adults expect them to respond to their loss. Students' academic performance also suffers, as does their capacity to move forward developmentally and emotionally. Because of the broad range of both normal and troubled adjustments to parental loss, educators may be concerned about whether students are responding appropriately and about how best to help students as they grieve. A Diagnostic Perspective
Following the death of a loved one, most people tend to show many symptoms of clinical depression, including expressions of sadness, for about two months. Sad and withdrawn behavior that lasts longer than two months and interferes with a person's functioning, however, may indicate the onset of clinical depression in addition to normal grieving. Even normal responses to grief are difficult for children and adolescents, and all children facing the loss of a parent require special support and comfort. As our society increases in cultural variation, some families may respond to the loss of a loved one in unfamiliar ways. Because all cultures have designated rituals intended to foster community support for those who are suffering loss, we all need to understand and show appreciation for the culturally driven responses to the death of a parent. Developmental Differences
Children and adolescents differ in their response to grief because of their different developmental capacities and the nature of the loss. Losing a parent suddenly to an automobile accident, for example, is different from losing a parent to a long illness, such as cancer.