Adolescent sibling bereavement as a catalyst for spiritual development: a model for understanding

Abstract

While our understanding of adolescent bereavement has greatly expanded in recent years, one area yet to be clarified is the relationship between grief following a significant loss and spirituality. This article strengthens our understanding of this connection in two ways. First, the authors present a conceptual model explaining how developmental changes in cognitive capacity during the adolescent life stage make it possible to challenge one's beliefs and search for new meaning. The crisis of experiencing the death of a sibling during this period has the potential, then, of serving as a catalyst for enhanced spirituality--defined as a quest for new meaning. Secondly, interviews with four adolescents following the death of a sibling add more detailed understanding of that quest for meaning. Quotations drawn from these interviews illustrate these young persons' shifting perspective of self, others, the sibling relationship, a higher power, death, and life.