LIFE AFTER THE DEATH OF A CHILD - INITIAL AND LONG-TERM SUPPORT FROM OTHERS

This article presents research on both the source and continuity of su pport received by bereaved parent(s) within four different social cont exts: family, friends, co-workers, and clergy. The data were obtained from a study conducted in 1990-91 on the social impact of the death of a child, and are drawn from fourteen interviews with bereaved parents representing nine families and ten child deaths. The responses to thr ee questions are considered. First, how were you treated by family mem bers and close friends? What were their expectations? Second, how were you treated by your boss and co-workers when you returned to work? Wh at were their expectations? And, finally, how did your clergy treat yo u? Using the work of Therese Rando and William Worden as point of depa rture, social support or lack thereof for the bereaved parent is reexa mined from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Implications for gri ef counseling are discussed.