Personal growth in bereaved students: Associations with support, grief, and distress

E Tureluren; L Claes; K Andriessen

Journal article

Personal growth in bereaved students: Associations with support, grief, and distress

E Tureluren, L Claes, K Andriessen

Death Studies | ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD | Published : 2023

DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2022.2063457

Abstract

Experiencing the death of a loved one can have a substantial negative impact on the grief and mental health of students. However, the bereavement can also lead to personal growth. We investigated the association between personal growth and support, grief, and distress. Bereaved students (N = 666) at Flemish universities and colleges (Belgium) completed an online survey with sociodemographic questions and four scales assessing personal growth, support, grief, and distress. Support and grief positively predicted personal growth. Emotional closeness correlated positively with personal growth. Our findings indicate a need for supporting bereaved students in their process of personal growth.

University of Melbourne Researchers

Karl Andriessen Author

Related Projects (1)

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERVENTION FOR BEREAVED ADOLESCENTS TO FACILITATE THE GRIEF PROCESS AND TO PREVENT ADVERSE MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES

The project will develop an intervention for bereaved adolescents in Australia. It will (i) determine the current knowledge of the effective..

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

K.A. was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship (1157796) and an Early Career Researcher Grant of The University of Melbourne (ECR1202020). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, and the decision to submit it for publication.