Parental Bereavement: Levels of Grief as Affected By Gender Issues

Abstract

This study examined differences between men's and women's levels of grief associated with the death of a child. Nineteen bereaved individuals were contacted through a local parental bereavement group. Gender and other variable data were gathered on a demographic data form. To measure levels of grief, the Grief Experience Inventory (GEI) was employed. Analyses of the results were performed using, t-tests, and eta-squared calculations. An alpha level of .05 was used for all parametric tests. Results supported only one hypothesis, that women experience higher levels of grief then men. The hypotheses that women who lost daughters would experience higher levels of grief then women who lost sons, and that men who lost sons would experience higher levels of grief then women who lost sons were not supported. The hypotheses that men who lost sons would experience higher levels of grief than men who lost daughters, and that women who lost daughters would experience higher levels of grief then men who lost daughters were also not supported.