Adolescent reactions to sibling death: perceptions of mothers, fathers, and teenagers

Abstract

Fourteen families in which a child had died participated in this study; the mother, father, and one teenager from each family were interviewed. All participants completed a sibling bereavement inventory consisting of 109 scaled items that measured self-concept perceptions and grief reactions. The teenagers completed the inventory in terms of their own reactions; the mothers and fathers were instructed to complete the inventory as they anticipated their teenager would answer it. Mothers held significantly different views of their teenagers' self-concept and grief than did the fathers or the teenagers. Fathers' responses resembled those of their teenagers. In addition to accenting the need to study more fully the family dynamics involved when a child dies, the results call into serious question commonly held views regarding the accuracy and reliability of mothers' perceptions of bereaved children. The results suggest that more credence be given to fathers' observations about the phenomena of bereavement engaging their teenage children.