Predictors of Children's Understandings of Death: Age, Cognitive Ability, Death Experience and Maternal Communicative Competence

Abstract

A child's age, cognitive ability, and exposure to death in the environment have been documented as major factors affecting the formation of a mature death concept. The present study investigated the relationships between these three factors (age, cognitive ability, and death experience) and children's understandings of death, as well as the relationship between mothers' communicative competence and children's understandings of death. Thirty-seven children (ages 48-96 months) completed three cognitive tasks and answered four dichotomous questions about death. Their mothers (N = 37) responded in writing to 16 questions about death that children are likely to ask. Results showed significant relationships between age and understanding, between seriation ability and understanding, and between death experience and understanding. There was no statistically significant relationship between maternal response competence and children's understandings of death. Implications are discussed.

Complicated Grief Reactions in Children and Adolescents

“…In contrast, cultural differences, previous death-related experiences, intelligence, and having a life-threatening illness all affect children's conceptualizations of the bioscientific aspects of death (Hunter & Smith, 2008;Speece & Brent, 1996). Findings related to normal childhood grief have been obscured by the nature of assessments.…”

“…See Corr, 2008;Corr and Corr, 1996;Diareme et al, 2007;Galonos, 2007;Himebauch, Arnold, & May, 2008;Hunter & Smith, 2008;Oltjenbruns, 2007;Speece & Brent, 1996. 250 K. Nader and A. Salloum …”

Communication about HIV and death: Maternal reports of primary school-aged children's questions after maternal HIV disclosure in rural South Africa

“…During childhood, these naive theories develop, leading to a mature understanding of death that incorporates mastery of several concepts including: inevitability (that living things must die eventually); universality (that inevitability applies to all living things); irreversibility (recognition that the dead cannot return); cessation (that death is characterised by bodily processes ceasing to function); and causation (that death is caused by breakdown in bodily function) (Slaughter, 2005). While traditional psychoanalytic and child developmental theories (particularly Piagetian) suggest that mastery of a mature concept of death emerges in later childhood (9–11 years), more recent intuitive theories argue that children's experience (Hunter and Smith, 2008) and exposure to biological information frame the timing and order in which children master concepts of death (Slaughter and Griffiths, 2007). Providing children with developmentally appropriate information mitigates some of the effects of parental illness and death on the child (Dunning, 2006).…”

O conceito de morte e a Síndrome de Asperger

“…Os três fatores que são relacionados como fundamentais ao estabelecimento do conceito de morte são idade, habilidade cognitiva e vivências de morte (Hunter & Smith, 2008). Por ser um conceito complexo e abstrato, requer a capacidade de distinguir seres inanimados de animados, significado da constância do objeto (conservação), diferenciação de self e não self e compreensão dos conceitos de tempo e causalidade (Torres, 1978).…”