A Narrative Analysis of Sibling Grief |
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| Authors: | Amy M. Funk Sheryl Jenkins Kim Schafer Astroth Gregory Braswell Cindy Kerber |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Nursing, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois, USA;2. Mennonite College of Nursing, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA;3. Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, USA |
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| Abstract: | Sibling grief is linked to serious physical and mental health outcomes, yet remains the least researched of all family bereavement. This exploratory study created a shared sibling grief narrative. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 27 participants who lost a sibling. Primary themes included Shared Life: Identity Within the Sibling Arrangement; Sibling Death: Pivotal Moments in Time; Life After Sibling Loss: Emotional Suffering, Life After Sibling Loss: Missing Roles & Changing Relationships; and The Sibling Lives On. The following study findings clarify the overlooked impact that sibling death has on the surviving sibling and demonstrate the crucial need for more sibling loss research. |
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| Keywords: | Death and dying narrative research parent child relationships sibling grief sibling relationships |
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