Best practices in children’s bereavement: A qualitative analysis of needs and services

The death of a loved one is a tumultuous, confusing, and emotional time for children. The purpose of the study is to consolidate the knowledge, resources, and recommended practices concerning children’s bereavement so as to better understand their need for support and how to meet it. Methods: We conducted a qualitative analysis of the current and best practices supporting children’s bereavement through interviewing experts and examining relevant literature. We used theoretical sampling and purposeful sampling techniques such as maximum variation to generate expert interviews. We used the constant comparative method until thematic saturation was accomplished. Results: Themes are divided into two major sections: unique aspects of children’s grief and recommended practices. Experts noted that children may experience grief in short spurts and then return to their daily activities, that some children may grieve at each developmental stage and milestone, and that children may try to console their parents at the expense of addressing their own grief. Recommendations include using proper medical terminology and avoiding euphemisms, normalizing grief, peer support with other bereaved children, and therapies in addition to one-on-one counselling such as art therapy and play therapy, among others. Conclusions: There is consistent evidence throughout the literature and agreed upon by experts regarding how children experience grief and what services should be available to them. Expert knowledge and recommendations can be situated in theoretical knowledge on grief, the dual process model of coping and the chronic sorrow model. Further research is recommended to better address the needs of this very vulnerable population.