SIBLING BEREAVEMENT - A CONCEPT ANALYSIS

Investigators of sibling bereavement contend that the death of a sibli ng represents a unique and intense loss experience. The empirical lite rature, however, lacks conceptual;clarity about the characteristics of sibling bereavement. Metaphors of siblingship are widely applied and may compromise the integrity of theory development specific to sibling bereavement, particularly as this knowledge base is broadened. There is an immediate need to extend the descriptive knowledge base for sibl ing bereavement beyond adolescence, in large part to prepare to addres s the needs of the great number of adults whose brothers and sisters h ave died as a result of AIDS. The purpose of this article is to examin e the concept of sibling bereavement by reviewing the empirical litera ture and by applying the Wilsonian Method (1963) of concept analysis. A preliminary model addressing the factors of critical attributes and personal outcome variables for bereavement research specific to siblin g loss is presented.