Grieving experiences amongst adolescents orphaned by AIDS: Analysis from event history calendars

Gloria Thupayagale-Tshweneagae

doi:10.4102/curationis.v35i1.71

Abstract

Mental health is an essential component of adolescent health and wellbeing. Mental health practitioners assess adolescents' mental health status to identify possible issues that may lead to mental health problems. However, very few of the tools used to assess the mental health status of adolescents include assessment for grieving and coping patterns. The current tools used for assessing an individual's mental health are lengthy and not comprehensive. The purpose of this study was to assess grieving patterns of adolescents orphaned by AIDS and to appraise the usefulness of an event history calendar as an assessment tool for identifying grieving experiences, in order to guide and support these adolescents through the grieving process. One hundred and two adolescents aged 14-18 years, who had been orphaned by AIDS, completed an event history calendar, reviewed it with the researcher and reported their perceptions of it. Thematic analysis of the event history calendar content revealed that it is an effective, time-efficient, adolescent-friendly tool that facilitated identification and discussion of the orphaned adolescents' grieving patterns. Crying, isolation, silence and violent outbursts were the main grieving patterns reported by adolescents orphaned by AIDS. The researcher recommends use of the event history calendar for identification of orphaned adolescents' grieving experiences. Early identification would enable mental health practitioners to support them in order to prevent the occurrence of mental illness due to maladaptive grieving.

Highlights

Several instruments, including the Inventory of Complicated Grief, the Pathological Grief Questionnaire and the Texas Inventory of Grief have been used by mental health professionals to identify grief (Yi Wen & Gustafson 2004:11)
The findings of the study were divided into the divisions from the event history calendar
Seven participants reported that they had no role models

Summary

Introduction

Several instruments, including the Inventory of Complicated Grief, the Pathological Grief Questionnaire and the Texas Inventory of Grief have been used by mental health professionals to identify grief (Yi Wen & Gustafson 2004:11). In most African countries, grief assessment is not included in health assessment forms (Mayeya et al 2004:65). Grief is understood to be an incorporation of diverse psychological (affective, cognitive, social, behavioural) and physical (physiological, somatic) manifestations, the overt expression of which varies between and within cultures (Li et al 2008:148). Affective manifestations include depression and despair, dejection, anxiety, guilt, anger, hostility and loneliness. Cognitive manifestations include pre-occupation with the deceased, low self-esteem, self-reproach, helplessness, hopelessness, a sense of unreality, and problems with memory and concentration. Behavioural and social manifestations include agitation, crying, fatigue and social withdrawal (Stroebe, Stroebe & Schut 2000:11)

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