Bo's Place - Where Children are Heard and Hearts are Healed

Sibling Bereavement and Continuing Bonds

Authors:
Packman, Wendy
Horsley, Heidi
Davies, Betty
Kramer, Robin

Source:
Death Studies: 2006. Volume 30, pp. 817-841.

Summary

This article provides a review of the shift in bereavement literature towards acceptance of a continuing attachment or bond with the deceased as a healthy part of coping with the death of a loved one. The article reviews a variety of recent research that identifies the ways in which children maintain continuing bonds with a deceased sibling. The authors report that many individuals who experienced the death of a sibling as a child carry the image of the sibling with them and continue to have a sense of the presence of the sibling in their lives. The article also examines the role of the family and its influence on bereaved siblings, particularly the impact of the parents’ grief and the family’s communication style. The authors state that the impact of a sibling death often lasts a lifetime.

Key words: bond, sibling

Service Provider Implications

This article suggests that service providers work with the entire family, supporting the parents and helping them to understand the importance of allowing the surviving children to find ways to continue their bonds to the deceased sibling.  Service providers can help inform parents of the unique ways in which children process their grief, and of the importance of listening to the feelings of bereaved children. Finally, the authors state that clinicians should be mindful that the development and maintenance of continuing bonds is often a life-long process.