ABSTRACT
We adopted a resilience framework to gain a deeper understanding of the specific ways that grief impacts college students and identify specific ways that counselors can promote resilience among this population. Data from interviews with 10 college students were analyzed using grounded theory. Three categories of themes related to promoting resilience among bereaved college students were extracted: indications of what needs to change to be doing OK, factors that facilitate becoming OK, and barriers to the grieving process and becoming OK. The facilitators for and barriers to achieving these indicators of resilience are discussed in the context of navigating bereavement as a college student. Specific recommendations are made for counselors and college personnel.
Subject(s)
Bereavement , Counselors , Humans , Grief , Universities , StudentsABSTRACT
Bereavement is considered one of the most stressful experiences that young people face, and there are unique considerations for how this impacts college students. Applying a resilience framework to the experiences of bereaved college students can provide a better understanding of their experiences; however, studies on the ways that these individuals themselves define resilience are extremely limited. Furthermore, no studies to date have considered the intersection between college students' conceptualizations of resilience and the developmental features of emerging adulthood. The authors present the results of a grounded theory study in which 51 bereaved college students completed a questionnaire and 10 were interviewed to identify the age-salient tasks that they use to define resilience. Three primary themes were identified related to resilience: (a) emotional indicators, (b) behavioral indicators, and (c) fixed and/or unidentifiable factors. Findings were analyzed to reveal the bidirectional impact between grief and the developmental features of emerging adulthood.
