Parental Perceptions of Surviving Sibling Grief Responses to an Adolescent’s Violent and Sudden Death by the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea

The aim of this study was to provide empirical descriptions of responses to the death of a sibling to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in South Korea. 16 bereaved parents are interviewed regarding their surviving children's grief responses at approximately 2 years after the death. The surviving siblings described by the bereaved parents are 14 in total, including 8 teens in their 10s and 4 young adults in their 20s. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method. The following themes emerged: (a) negative behavioral changes, (b) expressions of grief, (c) change in relationship with parents, (d) school adjustment problems, and (e) social changes. Unique aspects of the grief responses among the surviving siblings in this study are noted. Discussions and implications are provided based on the results.

Parents' Perceptions of Adolescent Sibling Grief Responses after an Adolescent or Young Adult Child's Sudden, Violent Death

The violent death of an adolescent or young adult child is a highly traumatic event for surviving families. A major family adaptation issue relates to individual differences in coping with violent death. This article reports the findings from four data collection points of parental responses over an 18-month time frame to an open-ended question about the difficulties experienced by surviving adolescent children after their sibling's death. The data show that parents reported that they perceived little change over time in their children's responses; surviving adolescents continued to have multiple grief reactions and behavioral changes up to 2 years after the sibling's death. There were parental role differences between mothers and fathers across time in the perceptions of sibling grief. Further research is needed to understand the sibling grief process following violent death and to develop nursing interventions to support bereaved families.

Parents' Perceptions of Adolescent Sibling Grief Responses after an Adolescent or Young Adult Child's Sudden, Violent Death

The violent death of an adolescent or young adult child is a highly traumatic event for surviving families. A major family adaptation issue relates to individual differences in coping with violent death. This article reports the findings from four data collection points of parental responses over an 18-month time frame to an open-ended question about the difficulties experienced by surviving adolescent children after their sibling's death. The data show that parents reported that they perceived little change over time in their children's responses; surviving adolescents continued to have multiple grief reactions and behavioral changes up to two years after the sibling's death. There were parental role differences between mothers and fathers across time in the perceptions of sibling grief. Further research is needed to understand the sibling grief process following violent death and to develop nursing interventions to support bereaved families.