Coping and grief symptoms after parental loss in adolescence - a nationwide follow-up study

Anne Sophie Schaadt, Pernille Envold Bidstrup, Ida Cathrine Dall, Susanne Rosthøj, Randi Valbjørn Karlsen, Mai Britt Guldin, Amalie Søholm, Karen Inge Karstoft, Susanne Oksbjerg Dalton, Beverley Lim Høeg*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Knowledge about effective coping strategies is important to support bereaved adolescents who have lost a parent. We used data on 104 bereaved adolescents (13–17 years) from the FALCON nationwide questionnaire study of parentally bereaved families. We examined associations between adolescents’ control-oriented and escape-oriented coping strategies (KidCOPE scale) approximately two months after loss and grief symptoms (PG-13 scale) at six months follow-up. We also examined associations between the perceived efficacy of each coping strategy at baseline and grief symptoms at six months. The use of escape-oriented coping (e.g., distraction, self-criticism and social withdrawal) was associated with higher grief symptoms at six months follow-up (β = 0.4, 95% CI 0.1–0.9, p = 0.02), but no associations were found for control-oriented coping or perceived coping efficacy. Finding alternatives to the use of escape-oriented coping strategies may be an important part of grief interventions for bereaved adolescents.

Original languageEnglish
JournalDeath Studies
ISSN0748-1187
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2024

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