Impact of Death and Grief
"Adult survivors of the early death of a parent use the language of catastrophe—of great and sudden calamity—to describe their loss. The loss felt inside seeps out and engulfs everything."-Maxine Harris The Loss that is Forever: The Lifelong Impact of the Early Death of a Mother or Father
The impact of death in the life of a child is devastating. From the day their parent, grandparent, brother or sister die, everything changes. Nothing is ever the same again. The death is often just the first of many changes that will turn the child's life upside down. When a child has a loved one die, they feel like a part of themselves is gone. They feel like a part of their world has disappeared.
- One in twenty children will have a parent die by the time they turn 18. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1990)
- According to the U.S Social Security Administration, more than two million children under age 18 have lost one or both parents.
- More than two million children have had a parent die before the age of 18.
- Bereaved children show higher levels of depression and anxiety than non-bereaved children.
- Bereaved children have lower self-esteem than non-bereaved children.
- Bereaved children show less optimism for success later in life than non-bereaved children.
- Children who have lost a loved one have more accidents and health problems over time.
"This is a really hard birthday, because my husband was always older than me-this year, I will be older."
"I am an accountant. I am an organized person. I can't even get breakfast on the table."
"I got lost yesterday in my own neighborhood."
"The kids want to talk at night when I am putting them to bed. Then they really miss their Mother. We all would say prayers together, on our knees at someone's bed-and now she is not there."
"When I look at the back seat and see the empty seat belt it is a constant reminder that my daughter is no longer with us. It is the littlest things that make it hard to go on."
