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

Abstract

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.

To lose a friend: the relationship between professional help and grief among close bereaved friends after the terror attack, 22 July 2011

“…When not included in the proactive follow-up, bereaved friends who still needed help had to seek help on their own initiative. Several studies have shown that bereaved people with strong grief reactions, especially adolescents, may be less likely to seek help on their own (Johnsen & Dyregrov, 2015 ; Tureluren et al, 2022 ), and wish to be offered help (Dyregrov et al, 2015 ; Kaspersen et al, 2022 ; Titlestad et al, 2020 ). Some barriers in regard to seeking help have been suggested to be negative attitudes toward help-seeking, a lack of trust in the healthcare service, feelings of stigmatization, and feeling that people do not believe they are entitled to receive help (Dyregrov et al, 2015 ; Schnyder et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Following sudden and violent deaths, approximately 80–90% of bereaved people report that they do not cope alone, and they especially need help owing to factors such as lack of energy, desperation, and the surreal nature of the experienced situation (Kristensen et al, 2021 ). However, studies indicate that a considerable number of bereaved individuals experiencing prolonged grief or mental health problems do not seek help from help services, or do not prefer professional sources of help (Johnsen & Dyregrov, 2015 ; Reime et al, 2022 ; Tureluren et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Findings show that bereaved individuals often need help at an early stage, that help needs to be offered more than just once and to continue over time, and that the help should involve physical, psychological, and social care from both an individual and a family perspective (Dyregrov, 2002 ; Dyregrov & Dyregrov, 2007 ; Titlestad et al, 2020 ). A longer duration of help is associated with more adaptive adjustment to the loss; however, the duration of the help received is often shorter than requested and needed by bereaved adolescents (Ringler & Hayden, 2000 ; Tureluren et al, 2022 ). The European Network for Traumatic Stress (TENTS) recommends a stepped care approach as a practice following major traumatic events, focusing on identifying those at risk of developing symptoms and providing the appropriate follow-up care, rather than a universal follow-up strategy for all those afflicted (Bisson et al, 2010 ).…”

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

“…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].…”