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    Constructing grief : an analysis of young people's talk following the unexpected death of a peer : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Munro, Catherine A
    This research explores how young people talk about grief following the sudden and unexpected death of one of their peers. The study investigates the construction of grief by analysing the everyday language young people use when talking about grief. Ten bereaved young people were interviewed and their interviews transcribed to produce texts of grief talk. These texts were then analysed using the Potter & Wetherell (1992) approach to discourse analysis. The study identifies the discourse of control as an important part of the construction of grief in young people. The just world discourse that participants draw upon to construct their experience of grief as life changing and profound is also identified. Grief is constructed through talk as an external behavioural response as opposed to an internal emotion. Analysis of the talk also reveals that the participants construct grief as a collective undertaking. The embodiment of grief is identified as a way in which the participants combat the loss of ontological security caused by the death of their peer. The dominant youth culture discourse of un-emotionality is drawn upon frequently in the participants' constructions of grief. These findings offers a valuable new insight into the way in which young people construct grief differently to older adults following the sudden and unexpected death of a peer, and indicates the significance of the social and cultural context in which the study of grief occurs.
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    Grief and social support : who do bereaved individuals utilise for support? : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sciences in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1993) Durbin, Michelle Edith
    The present study aimed to investigate, using three theoretical perspectives of sociobiology, attachment and affiliation, who individuals go to for social support after the death of a close friend or relative. Based on the sociobiological literature it can be postulated that bereaved individuals will go to family for support. Attachment theory proposes that they will go to friends whereas affiliation theory suggests that people who have experienced a similar bereavement would be used for support. Based on the grief and social support research it was expected that bereaved individuals would go to a combination of supports and that female support givers would be used more than male supporters. It was also anticipated that bereaved females would use more supports than bereaved males. An added consideration was that bereaved individuals would use their partners for support. Thirty female and thirty male community based volunteers aged 20-70 were asked to complete a questionnaire at a time and place deemed appropriate for them. The questionnaire comprised items regarding demographics, and support from family, friends and people who have experienced a similar bereavement. The results revealed that bereaved individuals used a combination of support types but used more friend support after their bereavement than family or experienced person support. More female than male supports were used by both bereaved females and males. Bereaved females used significantly more supports than bereaved males. The majority of participants who had partners used them for their support. It was concluded that bereaved individuals used more informal social supports, such as friends and family, than formal supports. Friends, including partners, were most often used. Significant gender differences were found in who the bereaved people approached for support.
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    Sudden death : the impact of the immediate aftermath on police officers, victim support workers, and bereaved survivors : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Hargrave, Petrina Alice-Louise
    The immediate aftermath of a sudden death is known to be distressing for bereaved survivors and the first responders who assist them. However, its impact on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complicated grief (CG) in survivors and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in first responders is largely unknown. This study investigated factors contributing to, and resulting from, peri-event distress on suddenly bereaved family members and friends of the deceased (n = 125) and first responders (police officers, n = 165 and Victim Support volunteer workers, n = 148). Perceived lack of first responder support and violent death independently predicted peritraumatic distress in the bereaved sample. In turn, peritraumatic distress was the biggest predictor of both PTSD and CG symptoms. Among first responders, violent death, distress at survivor reactions, and identification with the survivor predicted peritraumatic distress. Distress at survivor reactions predicted less helpful survivor support and, equal with peritraumatic distress, was the strongest STS predictor. Findings suggest that first responders' ability to support survivors and their chances of developing STS symptoms are mostly influenced by how distressing they find survivors' immediate grief and trauma reactions. The degree to which they support survivors directly affects survivors' peritraumatic distress, which affects PTSD and CG symptoms more than other pre, peri, and post-event variables in this study. Using an information processing model, the findings further the theoretical understanding of how sudden bereavement leads to PTSD, CG, and STS. It is argued that peritraumatic distress not only disrupts the processing of trauma information, resulting in PTSD, but also of grief information, leading to CG, and secondary trauma information, resulting in STS. Practical and clinical recommendations are made that may help first responders minimise psychological distress for both survivors and themselves following a sudden death, and help therapists identify survivors at risk of PTSD and CG.