The Repercussion of Grief on Childhood in Situations Involving Violent Death

Abstract

The death of a loved one can be felt intensely and painfully and, for children, it could generate strong reactions, anguish, and sadness during the grieving process. To analyze the expression of children's loss when facing the violent death of a close people with affective bonds with the child, the research was developed in a School Clinic of Psychology in the Tocantins, having as participants six (6) children with ages between 7 and 10 years old. The information from the interviews with the guardians, through ludic interviews and application of the BDS-IJ test with the children, were interpreted. The results suggest that the children's answers signal the way they have been feeling and where some items indicating areas encompassing mood, thinking, and the social sphere was repeated among the children. We conclude that children have difficulties understanding the period of loss and internalizing feelings related to it. It is important to emphasize that even though the mourning process is difficult, it does matter that the children express their feelings and fantasies, either by playing or through conversation, accompanied by family support to go through this disorganizing period more adequately.

Keywords: Violence, Death, Grief, Children, Family.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-20-02

Publication date:October 31^st 2021