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This chapter examines a variety of factors that can help a bereaved child to develop a resilient mind-set. These interrelated factors come from within the individual child, their parents, and their community. This chapter discusses resilience in relation to children with a focus on the cognitive processes involved in building a resilient mind-set and identifies the spectrum of risk factors that can complicate a child's response to a parental death.

It is said that the death of a loved one or a close acquaintance can have a rather profound effect and serve as a challenging experience for a young person. As such, there have been a number of services set up over the last twenty years that provide support to bereaved children and their families. This chapter discusses the philosophy behind the development of childhood bereavement services, as well as the specific policy context in England and the current provision.

Losing a sibling or even a parent can have a rather profound effect on a child. However, there are some deaths that can easily induce trauma in a child, specifically sudden and unexpected deaths. Two examples of such deaths are accidental deaths and murders, particularly where the child witnesses the accident or the murder. This chapter discusses what it is like to work with traumatically bereaved children and looks at the concept of ‘traumatic stress reactions’.

This chapter summarizes studies that underscore the support children feel when they are informed, and are an integral part of a family that does not withhold important information from them. Four relevant areas are reviewed: (1) the evolving models proposed to explain the complexity of how children cope with bereavement; (2) the relevance of models of traumatic stress to childhood bereavement; (3) the retrospective and prospective studies of adult and child bereavement; and (4) the relationship between divorce, traumatic death, and anticipated death. These perspectives help us to understand the variations in the findings from different studies and to clarify the significance of this research.

This chapter describes the impact of terminal cancer on the lives of 18 children — 11 girls and 7 boys — aged 3 to 5 years. They came from 18 families, and their surviving parents were 15 mothers and 3 fathers. Recommendations for professionals and caregivers are provided.

This chapter summarizes salient findings presented throughout the book. This was done to provide an overview of the ways development shaped the children's experiences and their more or less successful adaptation to this family tragedy.

This chapter describes the impact of terminal cancer on the lives of 33 children — 16 girls and 17 boys — aged 6 to 8. They came from 30 families, and their surviving parents were 17 mothers and 13 fathers. The important themes that are germane to children in this age group are surveyed.

This chapter describes the impact of terminal cancer on the lives of 37 children — 19 girls and 18 boys — aged 9 to 11. They came from 33 families, and their surviving parents were 20 fathers and 13 mothers. It summarizes the developmental attributes that were important in understanding these children. The summary is followed by descriptions of how the children coped with the family tragedy, how they and their families responded to the terminal illness, how the surviving parents prepared the children for the death and family rituals, and how parents helped them to cope with their bereavement and reconstitution.

This chapter describes the impact of terminal cancer on the lives of 38 children — 22 girls and 16 boys — ages 12 to 14. They came from 35 families, and their surviving parents were 21 mothers and 14 fathers. Before early adolescence, each new developmental advance made it easier for parents to help their children with the stresses of a patient's illness and death. As their ability to understand what was happening progressed, the children controlled their emotions and behavior better, communicated more effectively, and were easier to understand and support. Although they expanded their world, the family remained at its center. The entrance into puberty and adolescence produced such a level of disquiet in these youngsters that it was harder to separate the reactions evoked by the patient's condition from reactions related to developmental changes. While many non-bereaved adolescents do exhibit minimal stress and disorganization during this developmental period, the event of parental terminal illness and death posed a significant challenge.

This chapter presents the stories of two families and their responses to the onset of terminal cancer. Seven-year-old Mark Stone, the boy in the first story, concerned the interventionist more than did 8-year-old Coleen O'Leary, the girl in the second story. Already during kindergarten Mark was a bit immature, and worried professionals about a potential problem with hyperactivity. However, for Coleen, a cascade of secondary stressors — the loss of all nurturing supports — had a powerful effect. The things she had control over, she did well: she was an excellent student, was liked and respected by classmates and teachers, and she behaved well and responsibly at home. Yet her outcome was more troubled than Mark's.

This chapter discusses the experiences of two contrasting families. The first family consists of a surviving father and his 10-year-old daughter. The second family includes a surviving mother, two daughters, and a son. Both parents learned the roles of becoming a single parent, and both mourned the loss of a spouse. In the first story, the father stayed home from work for seven months to care for his daughter. He is one of five fathers in the total sample who elected this option, and it was a good choice for them as well as for their children. In the second narrative, the mother faced a cascade of stressors that initially staggered her. She helps us to understand the pain of grief, which is complicated by the need to develop a new, independent identity. The chapter ends with a summary of the characteristics of the children and families that constitute the different outcome categories.

This chapter tells the story of Rachel, who lost her father to cancer at age three. Since then her case was followed until she left for college at age 18. The other children and families described in the book were followed for about 18 months. Thus, they provide an important understanding of the more immediate consequences of the tragedy of losing a parent. Rachel's story was included because it provides a longer-term perspective on the impact of a young parent's death. It also underscores the need for longer-term follow-up studies.

This chapter presents the story of Katja, who was 4 when her father died. Like so many of the 3- and 4-year-olds, she played rather than spoke her thoughts. It was her older sister and her mother who talked a great deal about Katja. However, this story is also about how pre-operational children experience and think about the illness, death, and reconstitution of their family. So the story is also about Lara, who was 2 1/2 when her father was diagnosed, 5 when he became terminal, and 7 when he died. Her recollections, understanding and reactions, which she shared generously, are those of a pre-operational child. Like so many of the 6- to 8-year-old girls, she was very garrulous; she loved the attention and the opportunity to talk to the interviewer. She loved being knowledgeable and opinionated, all attributes that made her an excellent raconteur. She had had a lot of practice in this. Her mother loved her chatty style and found in her a kindred spirit.