Running head: THE EFFECTS OF GRIEF
Bereavement and College Students: An Intervention Proposal
Kim Dehlin Zeiher
A Capstone Project in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Masters of Science Degree in
Counselor Education at
Winona State University
Spring, 2012
i
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Winona State University
College of Education
Counselor Education Department
CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
__________________________
CAPSTONE PROJECT
___________________
The Effects of Grief and Bereavement in the Lives of College Students
This is to certify that the Capstone Project of
Kim Dehlin Zeiher
Has been approved by the faculty advisor and the CE 695 – Capstone Project
Course Instructor in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Master of Science Degree in
Counselor Education
Capstone Project Supervisor:
Veronica Johnson
Approval Date: May 1, 2012
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Abstract
The effect of bereavement in the lives of traditional age college students (18-23 years)
has the potential to significantly impact the students both personally and academically across
multiple dimensions. Issues related to age-specific development and the possible consequences
of bereavement will be addressed. Further, a proposal for the design and implementation of a
college or university program to address student bereavement needs will be addressed, along
with suggestions for evaluation.
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Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….1
Review of Literature ……………………………………………………………………………...3
Discussion…………….........…………………………………………………………………….16
Author’s Note…………………………………….………………………………………………18
References ……………………………………………………………………………………….20
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Introduction
The prevalence of student bereavement on college campuses is significant and has far
reaching consequences for both affected students and institutions of higher education. This
paper will provide an overview of available information on the topic of college-age bereavement.
Further, it will provide information about developmental issues associated with young adulthood
and the potential implications for individuals who suffer the death of a loved one during this
critical time. Finally, the author will provide a proposal for university-sponsored initiatives that
have the potential to address the challenges faced by bereaving students.
Bereavement is the state of grieving the death of a person with whom the bereaved
individual has shared a significant relationship and must now endure the loss. “Relationships
with persons we care for combine both tangible and intangible elements. What matters is that the
person is gone forever, and that places us in a state of loss (what we call bereavement), eliciting
complex reactions (what we call grief), and finding expression in a myriad of ways (what we call
Mourning)” (Balk, 2011, p. 35).
According to Balk (2008), an estimated 22 to 30 percent of undergraduate students have
experienced the death of a close family member or friend within the past 12 months. Balk
(2001) also postulates that the percentage of bereaved students rises to between 35 and 48
percent when the timeframe is broadened to 24 months. For many such students the death
represents their first experience with significant loss. Knox (2007) suggests that often these
individuals lack experience with grief and may be ill prepared to deal with the intense emotions
that it invokes. Additionally, many college students live away from home and the support system
afforded by family and long-standing friendships. This results in the need to work through their
THE EFFECTS OF GRIEF
grief alone in an environment that rarely accommodates the needs of grieving students. The
college experience places significant demands on students as they strive to excel academically
and work to gain social and cultural competencies through their participation in extracurricular
endeavors. Bereavement has the potential to profoundly affect a student’s ability to accomplish
the day-to-day tasks and developmental transitions associated with young adulthood.
Additionally, student grief reactions have the capacity to undermine student academic success
and may ultimatily have a negative effect on the student’s ability to persist in college and to
accomplish their goal of graduation. Student atrition prior to graduation has implications for
both the affected student and for the college or university they attend. For this reason,
addressing issues of grief and bereavement as they affect students has potentially significant
ramifications from both a humanitarian view and from a retention perspective for colleges and
universities.
2
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Review of the Literature
Bereavement and the College Student’s Life Stage
Grieving the death of a loved one presents significant challenges regardless of the
bereaved individual’s age or life circumstances and can be especially daunting during times of
developmental transition. According to Graves and Larkin (2006) Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial
Theory holds that individuals develop in eight life stages. Each stage holds a psychosocial crisis
or task that needs to be resolved. This needs to be done in such a way that the individual is able
to incorporate the skills mastered in order to find the resolution of future stages. According to
Erikson, adolescence marks the time when physical and cognitive development coincide with
social expectations such that individuals are able to contemplate and structure their childhood
self-identity and begin to consider a workable transition to adulthood.
Greenberg (2002) explains that having completed the developmental tasks of
adolescence, traditional-aged college students are charged with the following tasks: the
establishment of emotional independence from their family, exploration of career options,
preparation for work after college, creation of emotionally-mature committed relationships and
development of a personal code of ethics. In establishing an autonomous identity, individuals
must, according to Balk (2011), move through the stages of autonomy to independence, develop
social competence, establish mature interpersonal relations, manage emotions, and develop
purpose and personal integrity. Choice of career is important because it establishes the
framework for the lifestyle in which the young adult will exist. It determines such things as
routine, physical and mental activity, social status, opportunities for career advancement, and
provides a context for expressing personal values. The formation of lasting adult relationships
requires young adults to form relationships based on a mature desire for intimacy and a solid
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sense of self. Erikson (1983) held that a sufficient sense of personal identity is necessary for an
individual to sincerely experience intimacy with another person. Beyers (2010) explained that
Erikson argued strongly that adolescents who fail to find a suitable identity may have difficulty
forming and maintaining long-lasting close relationships with romantic partners. Autonomy is
defined as “the quality or state of being self-governing; especially: the right of self-government;
self-directing freedom and especially moral independence” (Merriam-Webster, n.d). Newman
and Newman (1991) explain that the creation of an autonomous self takes place as the individual
develops through young adulthood and reconciles the developmental challenges between
adolescence and adulthood, leading to a more differentiated, and higher-function self.
The experience of bereavment, according to Balk (2011) must be considered as an
influential factor in both the personal development and academic success of students. TysonBawson and Colletti-Wetzel (2001) state:
Whereas life transitions are catalysts for development of adaptive skills and coping
resources, when developmental life crises are accompanied by severe life events such as
the death of a friend, one would anticipate obstructions in development should coping
resources be inadequate to promote adaptation (p. 430).
Balk (2011) asserts that bereavement can have profound implications on the formative
development of college students. Traditionally, the college experience allows students an
opportunity to explore the questions, “Who am I, and how do I see myself in the world?” It is a
time of personal and intellectual exploration and provides the student with the opportunity to
focus on self-development.
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College students faced with the death of a person with whom they have shared a
significant relationship learn at an early age about the unfairness of life and about one of life’s
most challenging trials. Balk (2011) further explains that the loss and subsequent challenges can
induce a deep turmoil of emotional and cognitive confusion that may challenge the individual’s
core assumptions about life and its meaning. Schwartzberg and Janoff-Bulman (1991) found that
the college student who had lost a parent exhibited a world view that differed from that of
students who had not experienced such a loss. The study demonstrated that bereaved students
see the world as less meaningful. It further suggested a positive connection between the grief
intensity and randomness and a negative correlation between beliefs associated with justice,
controllability and self-worth. Additionally, reporting the results of their study on the effects of
bereavement on college students, Ronanaff, Israel, Tremblay, O’Neill, and Roderick (1999) state
that students who experienced the death of a loved one exhibited lower self-worth, less
optimism, and a greater external locus of control than did students who had no such experience.
Issues of Greaving and Bereaved Students
Students dealing with grief resulting from the death of an individual with whom they
shared a close personal relationship may experience issues that increase the challenges of young
adulthood and negatively impact academic performance. In addition to shaping a stable and
authentic personal identity, college students are typically engaged in rigorous academic study,
face pressure to participate in extracurricular and social activities, and are increasingly
responsible for earning the funds necessary to support their education. Ironically, many people
hold and promote the idea that the college years are the best time of an individual’s life - a time
to explore, have fun, and hold off on some of the demands of adult life. The reality for students
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who have lost a loved one, according to Balk (1998), is that the demands placed on students to
excel academically while meeting social and work commitments can seem overwhelming. Balk
further suggests that few students are aware of the prevalence of bereavement on college campus
and feel isolated in their experience.
Students experiencing bereavement may encounter a wide array of grief reactions. Balk
and Vesta (1998) explain that the symptoms of grief may affect the bereaved individual over a
number of dimensions, including physical, behavioral, social, cognitive, emotional and spirital
elements. The intensity and relative intricacy of the grief experience are affected by a number of
variables. Balk (1998) explains three factors that influence cognitive appraisal of a crisis:
1. Background and personal factor (e.g., family history in dealing with crises).
2. Event-related factors (e.g., the extent to which the crisis was anticipated).
3. Environmental factors (e.g., the quality of social support)
Balk continues that cognitive appraisal triggers coping skills as well as adaptive tasks. The
severity of bereavement-associated symptoms can be viewed on a continuum from minimal and
transitory to intensly disruptive and persistant. According to Balk, Lampe, Sharpe, Schwinn,
Holen, Cook, and Bubois (1998), complicated grief results when an individual suffers
significantly negative symptomology that culminates in an inability to succesfully adjust to the
loss of their loved one.
Physical Effects
Physical effects associated with bereavement, according to Reid and Dixon (2000)
includes insomnia, memory loss, diminished concentration, and loss of motivation. Due to the
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fact that students rarely seek health or mental health services with a complaint related to grief,
Janowial, Mei-Tal, and Drapkin (as cited in Hardison, Neimeyer & Lichstein, 2005) propose that
the symptoms of bereavement are often misinterpreted as indicators of stress. Further, they state
that most individuals are able to cope effectively with the symptoms of grief; however, for
approximately 40 percent of the bereaved, physical symptoms of grief are intense and can last a
year or longer. In fact, “there is incontrovertible evidence that the immune system is
compromised due to the distress of bereavement, thereby leaving persons vulnerable to
opportunistic diseases they would have otherwise successfully blocked” (Balk, 2011, p. 32).
Behavioral Effects
Behavioral effects, including the need to process the loss, can be especially challenging
for students because, for the most part, few of their peers have developed the knowledge, skills
or personal resilience to discuss the intensely emotional issues associated with the death of a
significant person in a friend’s life. Bereaved students often find that their peers are
uncomfortable with their sadness and find it difficult to be present to them in their grief. Further,
they often find that unaffected others underestimate the time it takes to process the death of a
loved one and may minimize the intensity of their experience. For these reasons, according to
Balk (2001), bereaved students often pull away from friends and classmates or try to minimize
what they are experiencing. In situations where friends pull away from the bereaved person, a
secondary loss with which to cope is created.
Social Effects
Social effects experienced by bereaved students can include feelings of isolation and
difficulty relating with peers. The necessities of academic life require bereaved students to
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return to school soon after the death of a close family member or friend. However, their
reentrance to college life can be marked by a sense of aloneness. A bereaved student returns to
campus having experienced an event that has impacted his or her life. He or she needs time to
process the experience and reestablish his or her identity in the absence of the person with whom
he or she shared a deep personal connection. Bereaved students are often unaware that other
students are also experiencing bereavement and may feel isolated and alone. Further, as
mentioned earlier, college is promoted as possibly the best time of one’s life. For students who
are processing grief, the expected social dynamic of college life is certainly inconsistant with
their experiences. Students may feel conflicted about being in an environment that seems
unaffected by and with individuals who seem unaffected by the loss of a person who was
important in the life of the student. Balk (1998) states:
Furthermore, for college students, resolution of bereavement can be complicated when
usual support networks to deal with the aftermath of a death exist but are not at the
student’s school (e.g., when the social support comes from friends and family in the
student’s home town where the death occurred). It can also be complicated when social
networks are ill-equipped to support the bereaved student (e.g., when isolation and
feelings of inadequacy in the midst of a large student population characterize the student
in need of help). (p.3)
Cognitive Effects
Cognitive effects related to grief may include a decrease in problem-solving ability and
difficulties with memory. Reid and Dixon (2000) note that following the death of a loved one,
bereaved students tend to experience a decrease in college grade point average and are at greater
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risk for attrition. Additionally, they suggest that a connection may exist between grief symptoms
and problem solving. They explain that decreases in the ability of students to focus their
attention, recall information and meet deadlines are also characteristic of the bereavement
experience. These are the very attributes necessary for academic success and yet institutions of
higher education typically do not have mechanisms that address these known obstacles during
times of grief. At best, current academic policies may allow for student appeal of academic
probation or suspension on the basis that their grades resulted from issues of bereavement.
However, without proactive interventions, bereaved students face the negative implications of
diminished success in their academic studies. Balk (2011) states, “Cognitive impacts of
bereavement can jeopardize a student’s academic record and career dreams should grades
plummet” (p.33). He further emphasizes that student grades fall during the first semester
following the death of a significant person in the student’s life.
Emotional Effects
The emotional effects of bereavement may include depression, lower self-confidence and
doubts regarding self-efficacy. According to Balk (2011), students may also feel sadness, guilt,
anger, fear, anxiety, dread, and confusion. Reid and Dixon (2000) argue that a correlation can be
drawn between the symptoms of grief and symptoms of depression. Further, in the wake of a
pivotal life crisis students may question their ability to effectively navigate life’s challenges and
the possibility that they can have a positive impact on the direction of their own life. Balk (2001)
states:
Fundamental losses can undermine an individual’s self-confidence and threaten the
person’s self-image. Bereaved college students may doubt that outcomes they desire are
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within their personal control. It is crucial for bereaved college students to maintain (or
regain) a sense of personal control and to believe that they can achieve the outcomes they
want. The intensity and duration of grief can lead to doubts that a sense of balance will
ever return. (p.70)
Spiritual Effects
The spiritual effects experienced by bereaved individuals include questioning one’s
beliefs and purpose in life. When a loved one dies, those left behind seek answers to the
existential question, “Why?” Attig (as cited in Balk, 2008, p.9 ) asserts that the spiritual effects
of bereavement foster questions about the interrelatedness and isolation of humankind as well as
questions related to the goodness and meaning of life, fairness and purpose. Mathews and
Servaty-Seib (2007) point out that when the deceased individual played a central role in the life
of the bereaved, the death results in an increased need for introspection, reorganization and
potentially the reassessment of values and life priorities. Balk (2011) suggests that bereavement
causes individuals to restructure their understanding of self, their connection to the world, and
their relationships with others.
Addressing Student Needs
Students suffering the loss of a close friend or family member may experience effects
across multiple dimensions. In the midst of bereavement, students may feel unsupported,
isolated, or disconnected from the college experience. These effects have the potential to
negatively impact the student’s ability to succeed in their coursework and ultimately may impact
the student’s ability to gain admission to desired academic programs. Additionally, for students
who suffer complicated or persistent grief reactions, the bereavement experience may become an
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obstacle that inhibits their ability to reach the goal of graduation. In the present economic
climate, student retention is essential to the economic well-being of academic institutions. For
these reasons, the development of college or university sponsored bereavement programming is
in the best interest of academic institutions and the students they serve.
To best address the needs of bereaved students, institutions must begin by developing
system-wide policies and procedures that ease the delivery of services to students during times of
need. This represents a fundamental shift from the current practices on many campuses, where
students are expected to self-advocate based on individual circumstances. Bereavement often
leaves the student in a vulnerable position and without a clear concept of what they need or how
best to have their needs met. In effect, institutions of higher learning place students in the
position of having to piece together resources and create communication pathways within the
institution at a time when they may be least able to accomplish these tasks.
Intervention Proposal
The following represents a proposal for the development of campus bereavement policy
and programming. The establishment of a multidisciplinary task force, made up of individuals
from diverse campus constituencies represents the initial step in developing interventions.
Suggested Task Force member could include constituents from the following: Registrars Office,
Student Life and Development division, Housing, Student Health Services, Counseling Center,
Athletics, Student Senate, and potentially, student and alumni representatives. Individuals on the
task force will collectively be charged with identifying campus-wide interventions that have the
potential to assist students who are dealing with the death of a close family member or friend.
The initial responsibility of the task force will be to conduct a campus-wide needs-assessment by
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gathering pertinent information from the departments or programs they represent. For example,
Campus Health Services might garner information about bereavement issues on campus through
additional questions on the annual surveys already utilized. Task force members can then
consider and formulate recommendations for institutional policies and procedures that address
the identified needs of bereaved students.
It is recommended that the Task Force meet weekly over the course of a semester.
During this time Task Force members will be charged with specific tasks, including the
facilitation of communication about the needs of bereaved students and suggestions for meeting
those needs. The second major task will be to work within the Task Force to assimilate the
information gathered from various departments in order to conceptualize and develop a systemwide policy for interventions; these should be such that they can be applied fairly and equitably
across the in-need student population. One suggestion may be the establishment of student
bereavement leave. The guidelines for this policy could resemble the institution’s employee
bereavement leave policy (i.e., time off is determined relative to the relationship between the
student and the deceased). Another suggestion may be the development of an institutional policy
that provides a mechanism for students to withdraw from class, without penalty, if they are
unable to function in an academic setting due to the effects of bereavement. The third major task
would be the development of official recommendations to be presented to university leadership
with the authority to ratify and implement the recommended policy. The Task Force members
would further serve as the bereavement policy resource in their respective department.
Once the task force has successfully implemented policies and systems to assist bereaved
students on campus, the final major task will be obtaining the support of campus constituencies
before the task force disbands at semester’s end. The endorsement of the institution’s
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administration, faculty, staff, and students will help ensure the implementation of proposed
policies and strategies. Building campus-wide awareness of newly endorsed bereavement
policies can be accomplished through the use of the institution’s website, social media outlets,
print media (i.e., the institution’s catalog, brochures, and policy manuals),and presentations to
key individuals. These individuals include faculty, staff, and those who supervise or interact with
students in the course of their professional duties. Staff and department meetings offer a logical
setting for these presentations. Publicizing these policies along with clear statistical data will
also help raise awareness of the prevalence of grieving students on campus, thereby helping to
normalize the experience for those affected and to prepare fellow students to assist friends in
need.
While policies and procedures are imperative pieces of the puzzle, grieving students
present to individuals, not the institution. Because individuals come to the experience with
varying degrees of comfort related to confronting bereavement, the following information can
assist campus employees and students in understaning how best to communicate with students
during a time of acute grief. The thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are inherent in the grief
process are among the most powerful in the human experience. Rack, Burleson, Bodie,
Holmstrom, and Servanty-Seib (2008) propose the idea that communication can affect the
experience of the griever by influencing emotional states and processing of events. In their
study, bereaved students indicated that the most helpful expressions of concern for their welfare
were provided when caring others offered presence and opportunities for the griever to express
their feelings. Additionally, they found that comforting messages that are highly person-centered
can explicitly recognize and legitimize the grief experience and may provide students with the
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opportunity to gain greater understanding about the reasons for their emotional responses and
how they fit in the broader context of life.
In researching how young adults respond to grief management, Rack et al. (2008) found
that 80 percent of the young adults in their study reported that the messages they received about
their loss were not helpful. Only 20 percent felt that the grief responses communicated to them
were beneficial. Their research also indicted that demographic factors including the gender of
the grieving person, the extent to which the person feels social support is available to them, and
the circumstances of the loved one’s death had an impact on how the griever responded to grief
interventions from others. “Expressing concern for the welfare of the bereaved, offering
presence, and providing the opportunity for the bereaved to ventilate feelings were among the
strategies rated most helpful. Minimizing the bereaved’s feelings and giving unsolicited advice
were rated as least helpful” (Rack et al., 2008, p. 403). In light of this, the question remains as to
how caring members of the campus community can best support students through the grieving
process. Rack et al. (2008) report:
Highly person-centered comforting messages explicitly recognize and legitimize the
other’s feelings, help the other to articulate those feelings, elaborate reasons why those
feelings might be felt, and assist the other to see how those feelings fit in a broader
context (e.g., “I am so sorry. I can only guess how sad you must feel about his passing. I
know the two of you were very close. I really care about you and how you are doing, and
I’m available anytime you want to talk about things or just want company. Times like
this can be rough, and I’m here to listen.”). (p.404)
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Program and Policy Evaluation
Evaluation is an important element in the continual improvement of any program. For
that reason, it is recommended that an annual review be conducted to deteremine the
effectiveness of the bereavement policies and procedures, and to ascertain any need for
modification. This review will be accomplished by adding pertinent items to the annual
university assessment given campus-wide.
Upon the disbanding of the Task Force, the logical place for ongoing oversight of student
bereavement-associated interventions would be either the Dean of Students or the Student Life
and Development Division. Either of these offices would be well-positioned to oversee any
necessary changes.
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Discussion
Rational for Intervention
Clearly from a developmental standpoint, traditional-age college students face challenges
across a broad spectrum of developmental issues. As discussed earlier in this paper, Erik
Erikson suggest that within each life stage there exists developmental crises that must be
resolved such that the individual has the ability to integrate the learning experiences of one stage
in the resolution of future stages. For college students, developmental tasks include the
establishment of an autonomous identity, separate from their family of origin. That identity
includes career considerations that affect choice of major, minor, and extracurricular activities
that may position them for future employment. Further, for many students college represents
their first experience in living independently. Along with this independence comes a new set of
responsibility, including the necessity to secure housing, provide for the needs of day-to-day
living, manage finances, and navigate complicated social dynamics, all while meeting rigorous
academic pursuits.
Students who face the loss of a close family member or friend face additional challenges
that have the potential to significantly undermine their sense of stability, and ultimately to hinder
their academic progress. Research shows 23-30 percent of college students have lost a person
with whom they shared a significant relationship in any given year. Additionally, those students
typically experience a decline in academic success during the semester in which the loss occurs.
A decline in GPA has the potential to negatively impact the student’s ability to gain access into
desired academic programs. This results in consequences for both the bereaved students and the
college or university. Fortunately, colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to address
the academic needs of bereaved students and have the potential to positively impact their
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experience with bereavement. Meeting the needs of bereaved student will require multifaceted
institutional approaches. Institutions of higher learning have the potential to design interventions
that uniquely address student bereavement needs based on the mission, vision, and goals of the
institution. For institutions of higher learning, both from a humanitarian and retention
perspective, the establishment of policies and programming that meets the needs of bereaved
students is an essential undertaking.
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Author’s Note
In April 2003, my husband and I were having the time of our lives, traveling in
Prague. While there, he experienced discomfort walking on the uneven surface of the
cobblestones that lined the streets. When we returned to the States, he was seen by his physician
for an annual exam, at which time he reported his experience. Following an MRI, he was
diagnosed with a very rare bone cancer. During the next twelve months he underwent massive
surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and on the eve of Christmas Eve, he lost his battle with
cancer and passed gracefully from this life.
At the time of their father’s death, my oldest daughter was a sophomore in college, and
my younger daughter was making plans to attend college following her high school graduation.
Knowing that they were undergoing an important developmental transition and that their lives
would be forever changed, I sought resources to assist them in processing their grief.
Additionally, the medical staff at Gunderson Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and at the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, also researched sources of support for my daughters.
Much to our collective surprise, we were unable to secure written material, bereavement
programs, or support groups that were designed to meet the needs of traditional-age college
students.
Throughout my husband’s illness and after his death, I felt supported in my grief.
However, as a mother I was heartbroken to realize that my daughters were afforded no such
support and were left to deal with the emotional devastation of losing a beloved parent while
continuing to meet the academic and social demands of young adulthood. I made the decision to
return to school seeking my master’s degree in community counseling, with the goal of finding a
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way to positively impact the situation. This paper represents my attempt to bring awareness of
bereavement and the college population. Within my Capstone, I offer a suggestion for the
development of a program to meet the needs of college students who, much like my daughters
did, face bereavement issues at a critical time in their personal development. My hope is that
educational professionals and other caring individuals take up the challenge to bring their
collective knowledge and humanity to the development of bereavement programs at institutions
of higher learning through the United States.
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