1.3. Describe the effect that: • culture  • religion • personal beliefs • stages of development may have on individual children, young people and adults who experience bereavement

This guide will help you answer 1.3. Describe the effect that: • culture  • religion • personal beliefs • stages of development may have on individual children, young people and adults who experience bereavement.

Bereavement is the experience of losing someone significant in life, and how individuals respond to this loss can vary greatly. This is influenced by several factors, including culture, religion, personal beliefs, and stages of development. As a support worker, having a clear understanding of these factors will help you offer appropriate help to children, young people, and adults who are experiencing bereavement.

Culture

Culture shapes how people view death, grief, and mourning. It provides a framework for the behaviours and rituals associated with loss. Cultural norms often dictate how individuals express their emotions and how they approach bereavement.

Some cultures encourage open expressions of grief, such as crying or wailing. This is common in many African and Middle Eastern cultures, where outward mourning is seen as a way to respect the deceased. In contrast, others may discourage overt displays of sorrow. For instance, in East Asian cultures, maintaining composure and grieving privately is often valued.

Cultural practices around death can also affect how bereavement is experienced. These might include:

• Holding a wake or vigil
• Specific funeral rites and ceremonies
• Observing periods of mourning through clothing or behaviour
• Visiting the grave or other symbolic gestures

These practices give individuals a sense of closure and community support. Without these rituals, someone may feel their grieving process is incomplete.

For children and young people, cultural influences might dictate whether they are included in mourning activities. Some cultures shield young people from the realities of death, which could leave questions unanswered or emotions unresolved.

For adults, cultural expectations may pressure them to behave a certain way during grief. For instance, in some cultures, men may face expectations to appear stoic and avoid showing vulnerability.

Religion

Religious beliefs often play a central role in how people cope with bereavement. Religion can provide guidance, comfort, and explanations for the death of a loved one. It can also influence the grieving process through rituals, prayers, or beliefs about the afterlife.

For instance:

• Christians often find comfort in the belief in heaven or eternal life. Funeral services typically involve prayers and hymns, offering a space for collective mourning.
• In Islam, death is considered a return to God. Ritual washing of the body and prayers for the deceased are carried out shortly after death. In some cases, the idea of predestination might provide comfort—the belief that the death occurred as part of God’s plan.
• In Hinduism, the concept of reincarnation impacts how death is perceived. Grieving may include lighting a funeral pyre and performing rites to ensure the soul transitions to its next life.

Religion can help bereaved individuals accept death by framing it as part of a larger spiritual journey. However, when death occurs in ways that conflict with religious teachings (for example, suicide), this could bring additional feelings of shame or guilt during bereavement.

Children may struggle to fully understand religious explanations based on abstract ideas like heaven or reincarnation. Teenagers might grapple with these beliefs, particularly if they are questioning their faith. For adults, strong religious faith might offer them hope, while those who struggle with belief might feel anger, doubt, or confusion, especially if death challenges their ideas about God or spirituality.

Personal Beliefs

Even outside formal religion, people hold personal beliefs that influence how they process loss. These beliefs might be shaped by past experiences, philosophies, or individual values.

For example:

• Some people believe in life after death, regardless of religious affiliation. This can bring comfort, as they may interpret dreams, signs, or coincidences as communication from the deceased.
• Others might view death purely as a natural end to life. For these individuals, bereavement might involve focusing on celebrating the person’s life, rather than their loss.

Personal beliefs can also shape how individuals find meaning in their grief. Someone who believes strongly in altruism might channel their loss into charitable work, like fundraising for a health cause connected to their loved one’s death.

Beliefs about mental health can also affect grieving. For example, someone who believes they must remain “strong” may suppress emotions, which can delay healing. Others might feel comfortable sharing their feelings and turning to support systems, promoting a healthier grieving process.

Children may inherit or adopt the personal beliefs of their family members. For example, a child whose parents don’t discuss death might perceive it as a taboo subject, which could prevent them from expressing sadness. An adult who works in health and social care might hold professional beliefs about the nature of death, influencing how they personally face bereavement.

Stages of Development

Grief differs across stages of development. Children, young people, and adults experience and express bereavement in unique ways, influenced by their emotional and cognitive development.

Children

Young children may not fully understand death or its permanence. A child under 5 years old might believe the deceased will “come back” or continue to live in another place. This can make grieving confusing or delayed.

Key behaviours in grieving children include:

• Clinginess or separation anxiety
• Regressing to earlier developmental stages
• Difficulty expressing emotions verbally, leading to tantrums or silence

School-aged children begin to grasp the finality of death. However, they may not yet have the emotional vocabulary to articulate their feelings. They might express grief through art, play, or physical symptoms, like stomach aches or headaches.

Including children in discussions about death, using age-appropriate language, helps them process their emotions. Allowing them to participate in or observe mourning rituals, like attending funerals, can also provide emotional closure.

Young People

Adolescents understand death more like adults do, but they may experience heightened emotions due to puberty and their developing sense of self. Bereavement can bring feelings of anger, guilt, or isolation, as teenagers often grapple with complex questions about life and mortality.

Common behaviours include:

• Seeking support from peers rather than family
• Exploring risky behaviours to cope with pain
• Struggling with concentration at school or work

Teenagers might struggle to share their feelings openly. They may also internalise their grief, worrying about how their expression will affect those around them.

Adults

For adults, bereavement is often influenced by life stage and social context. A young adult grieving a parent might feel destabilised, as they’ve lost a key source of guidance just as they are becoming independent. Middle-aged adults dealing with grief, particularly for elderly parents, might feel pressure to balance their own emotions with responsibilities for children, work, or other relatives.

Common responses in adults include:

• Varying coping mechanisms, such as seeking counselling or leaning on a social network
• Physical symptoms like fatigue, weight changes, or susceptibility to illness
• Revisiting memories to process their loss

Older adults grieving a spouse or close peer may experience grief particularly deeply if they feel isolated or fear their own mortality. For them, bereavement may trigger or worsen feelings of loneliness.

Supporting Individual Needs

Your role as a support worker involves offering appropriate and compassionate care. Being aware of these factors allows you to approach bereavement with sensitivity.

When helping someone who is grieving:

• Listen without judgement so they can express their emotions freely.
• Respect their cultural, religious, or personal beliefs without imposing your own views.
• Provide clear answers to children’s questions about death, using simple language appropriate for their age.
• Encourage children and teenagers to participate in family mourning rituals, if they wish.
• Offer emotional support and connect individuals to additional resources like counselling, religious leaders, or community groups where needed.

By recognising the diverse ways culture, religion, personal beliefs, and development impact grief, you can contribute to healthy and supportive bereavement experiences for those in your care.