Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-28DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2705378
Ruth Malkinson, Eliezer Witztum, Robert A Neimeyer, Simon Shimshon Rubin
{"title":"Post-Loss Growth (PLG) in bereavement: The missing link in posttraumatic growth.","authors":"Ruth Malkinson, Eliezer Witztum, Robert A Neimeyer, Simon Shimshon Rubin","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2705378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2705378","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Posttraumatic growth in the bereaved, representing a clinically useful and evidence-based construct, refers to those dimensions of growth arising from the death of another, just as it might arise from exposure to any other highly stressful event. However, this neglects unique expressions of growth deriving from the pre- and post-death relationship of the survivor to the deceased. We propose the term <i>Post-Loss Growth</i> (PLG) to highlight how this relational component influences the \"self\" of the bereaved in a way that is not reducible to the traumatic experience of the death <i>per se</i>. The Two-Track Model of Bereavement (TTMB) and the Meaning Reconstruction paradigm clarify how attention to the continuing bond with the deceased can help conceptualize both difficulties and growth following loss. Clinical vignettes and an extended case study illustrate the contribution of Post-Loss Growth to assessment and intervention, and by extension, to research as well.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148599910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-26DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2707224
Josephine A Tognela, Daniel Rudaizky, Lauren J Breen
{"title":"Co-creating support: reciprocal regulation in parent-supporter dyads following child bereavement.","authors":"Josephine A Tognela, Daniel Rudaizky, Lauren J Breen","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2707224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2707224","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This qualitative dyadic study examined how bereaved parents and their primary supporters co-create informal social support following the death of a child. Five parent-supporter dyads participated in semi-structured interviews, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Attuned interactions were characterized by emotional safety and mutual regulation; misattuned interactions occurred primarily outside dyads in families, workplaces, and healthcare settings, intensifying distress through avoidance and platitudes. Bereaved parents described grief as enduring, embodied, and oscillating, requiring emotional safety and consistent presence. Supporters experienced their role as emotionally demanding yet meaningful, requiring sustained self-regulation and resistance to avoidance. Support following child bereavement is dynamically co-created moment-to-moment, not simply given or withheld. For clinicians and communities, findings highlight the importance of grief-literate environments that build capacity for counter-reflexive responding, including tolerating distress, resisting grief-denying norms, and recognizing sustained, attentive presence as profoundly active support.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148590791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Latent profile analysis of Chinese parents' attitudes toward death and its association with their beliefs about child death and dying.","authors":"Zishen Wang, Yonglin Li, Ruishuang Zheng, Lorna Katharine Fraser, Siyu Cai, Xuan Zhou, Qiaohong Guo","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2705400","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2705400","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chinese parents' death attitudes influence how they guide children in understanding death, coping with loss and managing grief. This study identified Chinese parents' death attitude latent profiles, explored influencing factors, and examined the links to beliefs about child death and dying. This cross-sectional online survey, conducted in Beijing from October to December 2024, recruited 507 parents via convenience sampling to explore these attitudes and their correlates. Three latent profiles were identified: Natural Acceptance Predominant Group (28.4%), Open and Inclusive Acceptance Group (13.6%), Fear and Avoidance Predominant Group (58.0%), associated with age, religion, residence, family death-related communication, and other factors. Parents with different profiles exhibited significant differences in beliefs about child death and dying (<i>p</i> < 0.001). These findings highlight substantial heterogeneity in parental death attitudes in China and underscore the need for culturally sensitive death education. Targeted parental support and population-level death education are essential for improving attitudes toward death.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148583712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-23DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2704579
Maria Inês Alves, David Dias Neto
{"title":"Guilt in bereavement: The role of experiential avoidance and rumination.","authors":"Maria Inês Alves, David Dias Neto","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2704579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2704579","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Guilt is a common emotional response to bereavement and has been associated with prolonged grief symptoms. Experiential avoidance and rumination are associated with the persistence of grief related symptoms, yet their role in explaining how guilt contributes to grief severity remains unclear. This study examined whether experiential avoidance and rumination mediate the association between guilt and prolonged grief symptoms in bereaved adults. A community sample of 690 Portuguese adults who experienced an expected or unexpected loss completed measures of guilt, experiential avoidance, rumination, and grief. Mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects of experiential avoidance and rumination (injustice, meaning, and relationship) on the association between guilt and prolonged grief symptoms, alongside a significant direct effect of guilt. These findings suggest that guilt may exacerbate grief through avoidance and repetitive negative thinking processes, identifying potential mechanisms that may serve as targets for prevention and intervention efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148577468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-23DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2705379
Sophie Wallace-Hanlon, Karen Green Stewart, Nneka Okafor-Sholaja, Sherry Peck, Peter Fonagy, Chloe Campbell, Elizabeth Simes
{"title":"Forgotten grievers: What services can learn from families bereaved by youth-violence-related homicide.","authors":"Sophie Wallace-Hanlon, Karen Green Stewart, Nneka Okafor-Sholaja, Sherry Peck, Peter Fonagy, Chloe Campbell, Elizabeth Simes","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2705379","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2705379","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Serious youth violence is a significant social concern in the United Kingdom. This qualitative study explores the reported recommendations for the offer of care for families and members of the wider social network who have been bereaved by youth-violence-related homicide. This UK-based study used naturalistic, semi-structured interviews with 24 participants, including immediate and extended family and one peer. The study was initiated and co-produced with an expert by experience. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify recommendations for an improved support model. Our results coalesced around four main findings: (1) Need for timely support, (2) Importance of responsive, flexibly tailored help, (3) Importance of accessibility, (4) Specific ideas around the format and structure of help. There was an emphasis on support being more joined up, potentially through the establishment of an integrated keyworker role. Participants described the wish for warm, empathic, and culturally sensitive support provided by workers with specialist training.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148577516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-22DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2704573
Sarah J Egan, Danyelle Greene, Amy O'Brien, Sian B Pauley-Gadd, Elizabeth Bills, Thomas Callaghan, Shravan Raghav, Nicholas Payne, Bronwyn Myers, Christopher Hall, Hayden Wilson, Maarten C Eisma, Paul A Boelen, Kirsten V Smith, Jennifer Wild, Michael Duffy, David Trickey, Lauren J Breen
{"title":"A 12-month follow-up of a pilot randomized controlled trial examining co-designed unguided internet cognitive behavior therapy for grieving adolescents.","authors":"Sarah J Egan, Danyelle Greene, Amy O'Brien, Sian B Pauley-Gadd, Elizabeth Bills, Thomas Callaghan, Shravan Raghav, Nicholas Payne, Bronwyn Myers, Christopher Hall, Hayden Wilson, Maarten C Eisma, Paul A Boelen, Kirsten V Smith, Jennifer Wild, Michael Duffy, David Trickey, Lauren J Breen","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2704573","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2704573","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Grief is a prevalent experience in adolescence. Outcomes were explored 6 and 12 months after unguided internet cognitive behavior therapy intervention for grieving adolescents (<i>M</i> = 17.04 years, <i>SD</i> = 1.04). The primary outcome was anxiety symptoms and secondary outcomes were well-beingand symptoms of depression, prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Of the 49 adolescents randomized at pre-intervention, 18% completed the 6-month follow-up and 27% completed the 12-month follow-up. Intent-to-treat analysis indicated no significant effects of time for the primary outcome of anxiety symptoms, or secondary outcomes of prolonged grief and PTSD symptoms. However, at 12-month follow-up, participants had significantly lower depressive symptoms and higher well-being compared to pre-intervention. Clinical significance analysis showed more participants recovered or improved, compared to those who deteriorated. The study was limited by high attrition, a small sample size and no control group. Future research should include larger samples over long follow-up periods.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148548116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-22DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2704572
Itay Tsipper, Kfir Ifrah
{"title":"How do psychological flexibility and complicated grief contribute to the subjective well-being of bereaved parents?","authors":"Itay Tsipper, Kfir Ifrah","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2704572","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2704572","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parental bereavement poses profound mental health challenges, including diminished psychological well-being. This study examined both risk and resilience factors among older bereaved parents, specifically, complicated grief (a persistent and pervasive grief response) and psychological flexibility (the ability to accept and endure opposing experiences). Participants included 105 bereaved parents (aged 48-88, <i>M</i> = 64.06, <i>SD</i> = 9.93) who were pair-matched with 105 non-bereaved parents. Questionnaires assessed complicated grief, psychological flexibility, and subjective well-being. Hierarchical regression models revealed that psychological flexibility was associated with higher subjective well-being among bereaved parents exclusively. A mediation analysis revealed that among bereaved parents, psychological flexibility was associated with reduced complicated grief, which in turn contributed to greater subjective well-being. These findings suggest that the capacity to integrate conflicting experiences may facilitate a healthier adjustment to grief. Hence, clinicians and decision-makers may develop interventions that encompass both the positive and negative experiences of bereaved parents.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148548167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2704584
Qianru Xu, S H Abu Bakar Ah, Jiankun Gong, S M Mohd Faizal Lim
{"title":"Digital mutual aid narrative healing practices: Solace among bereaved Shidu older adults in China.","authors":"Qianru Xu, S H Abu Bakar Ah, Jiankun Gong, S M Mohd Faizal Lim","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2704584","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2704584","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>China is undergoing significant demographic changes and social transformation. Shidu older adults, defined as individuals aged 60 and above who have lost their only child under the one-child policy and have not had or adopted another, experience profound psychological trauma and identity disruption. Traditional support systems offer limited assistance. In contrast, online social platforms present new opportunities for grief expression and empathetic engagement. This study employs narrative analysis and digital text analysis to examine language practices and interactional patterns in online mutual aid groups. The findings suggest that digital storytelling facilitates a transition from silent suffering to the reconstruction of meaning. Through repeated narration, participants restore coherence to their life stories and regain a sense of belonging within collective narratives. Ongoing interactions contribute to a system of social healing in which grief becomes a shared emotional experience. The study demonstrates that digital narratives can alleviate psychological distress and support the regeneration of social support networks. These findings have theoretical implications for emotional care and digital mental health interventions in aging societies.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148548175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2705380
Alena Lochmannová, Miroslav Šafr, Patrice Marek
{"title":"A conservative lexical analysis of explicitly named affective and evaluative states in Czech forensic-archive suicide notes.","authors":"Alena Lochmannová, Miroslav Šafr, Patrice Marek","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2705380","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2705380","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forensic suicide notes offer a window into what people feel near death. Using a conservative lexical approach, we mapped named emotion words and emotion-related states in Czech suicide notes and examined variation by sex and age. Notes were transcribed and anonymized. Only verbatim Czech terms were coded, and each term was counted once within a case-level suicide communication. The analytic subset comprised 101 cases with at least one explicitly named affective or evaluative term, 76 men and 25 women, with 180 term-by-case occurrences and a mean of 1.78 coded terms per case. Love was most frequent, 59/101, 58.4%, indicating a relational core in this final communication. Low-frequency negative terms showed the clearest sex patterning, including threat-related and moral self-evaluative labels mainly in men. In the oldest group, love declined, while somatic and distress terms clustered selectively. The approach captures explicit affective vocabulary, not the full affective content of the notes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148548169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death StudiesPub Date : 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2026.2705381
Jonathan Rosenhead, Michal Mahat-Shamir
{"title":"\"A knock on the door\": A qualitative analysis of death notification to parents of fallen \"lone soldiers\" in the Israeli defense forces.","authors":"Jonathan Rosenhead, Michal Mahat-Shamir","doi":"10.1080/07481187.2026.2705381","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2026.2705381","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The term \"lone soldiers\" relates to military personnel who serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) without family support. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological study is based on interviews with eleven bereaved parents, exploring the death notification experience for parents living outside of Israel. Analysis revealed three themes: (a) diversity in death notification experience; (b) unpreparedness for receiving the death notification; and (c) difficulty in making sense of the loss following the death notification. The geographical distance presented a unique variable for the death notification procedure for bereaved parents living outside of Israel, and the subsequent experience of the death notification. The findings are discussed based on the theoretical groundings of Chaos theory, focusing on the physical, emotional, cultural, and social disconnect expressed by parents during the death notification experience. Implications for death notification procedure and parental bereavement support are considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":11041,"journal":{"name":"Death Studies","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148548094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}