Adolescents' bereavement experiences. Prevalence, association with depressive symptoms, and use of services

The present study set out to estimate the prevalence of bereavement experie nces in adolescents, the association between these experiences and depressi ve symptoms and the attitudes of bereaved young people to professional inte rventions. The study was based on 1746 adolescents aged between 11 and 16 y ears from two secondary schools in Northern England. Questionnaire measures of bereavement experiences and depressive symptoms were completed by the a dolescents in the classroom. One thousand three hundred and fifty-five (77. 6%) reported that at least one of their first- or second-degree relatives o r close friends had died. These losses were associated with increased level s of depressive symptoms in comparison with the loss of other relatives or pees. The impact of the loss of someone close depended to an important exte nt on the young person's perception of how the loss had changed their lives . Most adolescents did not feel the need for professional services. Those w ho did use these services had higher levels of depressive symptoms, suggest ing that service use was likely to have been appropriate. (C) 2001 The Asso ciation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.