Experiences and Support Needs of Bereaved Students in Higher Education

Hay, Ashton; Howell, Joel; Rudaizky, Daniel; Breen, Lauren J.

doi:10.1177/00302228221096565

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…They also felt uncomfortable seeking support and did not like talking about their thoughts and feelings. In addition, a substantial group of bereaved students did not know where of who to turn to for social and/or formal support, which has also been reported in other studies (e.g., Andriessen et al, 2019;Hay et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Help-seeking behavior in bereaved university and college students: Associations with grief, mental health distress, and personal growth

2022

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Many students have experienced the death of a loved one, which increases their risk of grief and mental health problems. Formal and social support can contribute to better coping skills and personal growth in bereaved students. The purpose of this study was to examine the support that students received or wanted to receive and its relation to students’ mental health. We also looked at students’ needs when receiving support and barriers in seeking formal and social support. Participants (N = 666) completed an online survey consisting of questions about their sociodemographic characteristics, the support they received or wanted to receive, and support needs and barriers in seeking support. The survey also included three scales assessing grief, mental health distress, and personal growth. First, we analyzed the data descriptively. Next, we used MANCOVA to examine whether students who did or did not receive or wanted more support differed in terms of their grief, mental health distress, or personal growth. About 30% of students needed more support and experienced more grief and mental health distress than students who had their support needs met. Students who received support experienced more personal growth and grief than students who did not receive support. Students indicated a need for feeling acknowledged and safe. Feeling like a burden to others and perceiving their problems as not serious enough to warrant support were common barriers to seeking support. Our results indicate that support should be provided actively to students after the death of a loved one, and support being available on an ongoing basis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Help-seeking behavior in bereaved university and college students: Associations with grief, mental health distress, and personal growth

2022

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“…Usually, student health services have lower thresholds compared to specialized grief or psychological services. Appropriate training of staff at these health services would be a prerequisite for providing adequate support to the bereaved students [53][54][55].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Grief and Somatic Complaints in Bereaved University and College Students

Sillis

Claes

Andriessen

2022

IJERPH

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Many emerging adults experience the death of a loved one while they are enrolled as a student in higher education. Bereavement increases the risk of long-term adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Still, as most studies have focused on psychological aspects of grief, little is known about the impact of grief on somatic complaints in students, leaving them vulnerable to health deteriorations. This study aimed to address this gap, and we hypothesized that there is a positive association between grief and somatic complaints in bereaved students. Participants (N = 688) were students enrolled at Flemish universities and colleges in Belgium. Participants filled out an online survey with sociodemographic questions, two scales assessing grief, and somatic grief reactions, and two additional questions inquiring whether participants had experienced other somatic reactions, and whether they had taken any steps to remedy their somatic complaints. Regression analyses revealed that less social support, type of relationship (first-degree relative), and the level of grief were positively associated with somatic complaints, and bereaved students reported various complaints such as feeling pain and strains, thus confirming the hypothesis. As bereaved students may be reluctant to seek support for somatic complaints, the findings indicate that information and psychoeducation for bereaved students and their social environment must address somatic grief reactions and encourage timely help seeking. In addition, staff members at psychosocial and medical services for students should be trained to recognize somatic as well as psychological grief reactions. Appropriately skilled, they can inquire about such complaints and provide adequate support to prevent long-term health ramifications.

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A compassionate university for serious illness, death, and bereavement: Qualitative study of student and staff experiences and support needs

et al. 2023

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Experiences and Support Needs of Bereaved Students in Higher Education

Cited by 7 publications

References 51 publications

Help-seeking behavior in bereaved university and college students: Associations with grief, mental health distress, and personal growth

Help-seeking behavior in bereaved university and college students: Associations with grief, mental health distress, and personal growth

Association between Grief and Somatic Complaints in Bereaved University and College Students

A compassionate university for serious illness, death, and bereavement: Qualitative study of student and staff experiences and support needs

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