Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the early bereavement experiences of emerging adults (ages 18 to 25) who have lost a close peer to death within the past 24 months. Data for this study were gathered through a semi-structured face-to-face or Skype interview, short essay, demographic questionnaire, member check, and brief field note. Eight African American men and women participated in this study. The majority of their peers died as a result of gun violence. Five themes emerged: (a) emerging adults had prior experiences of bereavement, (b) the extent to which emerging adults felt connected to their close peer prior to the peers death impacted the way the emerging adult experienced bereavement, (c) emerging adults employed emotional, behavioral, and spiritual strategies for coping with their losses, (d) support was instrumental in their bereavement processes, and (e) death interrupted everyday life. The types of deaths experienced among the participants were violent and gruesome. Death changed the ways that emerging adults thought about and participated in life. Differences in bereavement patterns based on gender and ethnicity and uncommon experiences of disenfranchised grief were noted among the emerging adults. Although it is not necessary to abandon theories of psychosocial development and grief, it is essential that theorists examine the nuanced experiences of emerging adults from diverse backgrounds. It is also important for researchers to explore the ways that experiencing death affects the emerging adults development and their perceptions of the world. Equally, it is important that helpers are equipped to serve populations of emerging adults who have experienced bereavement.

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