“I lost my best friend too”: Exploring the experience of parental death in young people

<p dir="ltr">Literature Review</p><p dir="ltr">Parental death impacts young people psychologically across multiple domains of their lives. Presently, there is limited literature exploring the experience of parental death both in this population and within the context of potential systemic factors, the current review aims to achieve this. A systematic literature review utilising thematic synthesis identified 10 papers for analysis, with relevant data characteristics extracted and summarised. Four themes were developed: (1) navigating the emotional landscape, (2) continuing bonds, (3) feeling different following loss, and (4) the impact of loss on support systems. Findings demonstrated the range of emotional impacts and further some systemic factors influencing the bereavement process, with oscillation between different methods of coping. Recommendations include increasing sample diversity and considering more direct applications of bereavement models to support provisions offered to young people.</p><p dir="ltr">Empirical Study</p><p dir="ltr">Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore eight adolescents experiences of parental death. All individuals self-identified as belonging to a lower socio-economic status grouping (SES). Five themes were developed, each containing further subthemes: (1)“They should be here” captures the irreplaceability of the deceased parent and challenges of accepting and processing the death. (2) “The weight of grief” reflects the all-encompassing emotional impacts of grieving. (3)“Redefining family and finances after loss” describes needing to adopt and navigate new roles and responsibilities as a family, whilst enduring ongoing financial challenges. (4)“Navigating external supports” captures varying experiences of external resources, present and absent. Finally, (5) “moving forward from loss” reflects the dichotomy of memories and a changed sense of identity or ‘growth’ post-bereavement. Findings demonstrate the unique experiences and challenges faced by adolescents from low SES groupings following the death of a parent. Identifying both the profound emotional impact of such a loss and the wider systemic impacts.</p>