Faculty's Empathy and Academic Support for Grieving Students

Abstract

This study assessed a voluntary sample (n = 123) of college faculty's attitudes toward grieving students and likelihood to provide referrals and course accommodations. Empathy levels of faculty were also measured. Although 97% of faculty indicated that at least 1 student had reported a death, only 36% had referred a student to counseling services. Mean number of referrals was .75, ranging 0 to 10. Empathy, attitude toward grief and a personal history of experiencing death during college were significant predictors of comfort level discussing death and likelihood to provide accommodations. Faculty were more likely to provide accommodations immediately following loss rather than weeks or months later.

Psychosocial functioning after losing a close friend in an extreme terror incident

“…If schools provide help, they are often more likely to do this immediately after a death, and students experiencing long-term effects of grief may be overlooked, as students without overt symptoms can be (Hedman, 2012;Pfefferbaum et al, 2000). Although teachers are expected to help grieving students, many feel that they are not trained to handle a student's death, and additional professional development in the area of crisis response training are often needed (Dyregrov, Dyregrov, & Idsoe, 2013;Hart & Garza, 2012).…”

Supporting bereaved students in higher education: student perspectives

“…Bereaved students report and demonstrate reduced test performance, lower grade-point averages, difficulty concentrating, and require more time to complete tasks (Cupit et al, 2016;Cupit et al, 2021;Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006). Thus, bereaved students are at risk of voluntary withdrawal from the university, especially if they cannot find appropriate support (Hedman, 2012;Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006).…”

“…The most appropriate and beneficial forms of support for bereaved university students include providing information at orientation regarding the prevalence of bereavement and the normal grieving process, offering drop-in and peer-led support groups, and implementing a student bereavement policy (Cox et al, 2015;Cupit et al, 2016;Cupit et al, 2021;Fajgenbaum et al, 2012;Liew & Servaty-Seib, 2020;Parikh & Servaty-Seib, 2013;Servaty-Seib & Taub, 2008;Walker et al, 2014). However, there are many ways universities can provide support to bereaved university students, including engagement with staff, on-campus counselling, and tailored administration processes (Cupit et al, 2016;Fajgenbaum et al, 2012;Hedman, 2012;Liew & Servaty-Seib, 2020;Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006;Servaty-Seib & Taub, 2008;Valentine & Woodthorpe, 2020;Walker et al, 2014).…”

“…Bereaved students can also be supported by formal administrative processes that manage assessment extensions, examination deferrals, and unit withdrawals (Liew & Servaty-Seib, 2020;Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006). For example, Hedman (2012) interviewed 123 staff members and found that the majority were highly supportive of informally helping bereaved students by providing assignment extensions and rescheduling examinations, especially within the week of bereavement. However, staff were less supportive of providing leniency with coursework deadlines if bereavement occurred a month or more before the scheduled date (Hedman, 2012).…”

“…For example, Hedman (2012) interviewed 123 staff members and found that the majority were highly supportive of informally helping bereaved students by providing assignment extensions and rescheduling examinations, especially within the week of bereavement. However, staff were less supportive of providing leniency with coursework deadlines if bereavement occurred a month or more before the scheduled date (Hedman, 2012). A reduction in staff support can disenfranchise and invalidate students' grief when it extends beyond the immediate few weeks, preventing students from seeking and receiving support, despite evidence that shows grief is present months and years after the death (Balk et al, 2010;Cupit et al, 2016;Cupit et al, 2021;Doka, 2002;Hardison et al, 2005;Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006;Servaty-Seib & Taub, 2008;Walker et al, 2016).…”