Quiz 12: Loss, grief and bereavement

Please choose the one, most correct answer to each question or statement.

A mother is suffering from depression after receiving the news that her son has cancer. Which type of loss is the mother experiencing?
- Primary
- Secondary
- Physical
- External
What is grief?
- The absence of something to which the person has formed an attachment
- What a person thinks, feels and experiences as the result of a loss
- The state of anger in response to the loss
- The outward expression of loss
What term is applied to what people observe when someone is grieving?
- Bereavement
- Depression
- Mourning
- Separation anxiety
What term is applied to the time when a person is responding to the loss of a loved one?
- Separation
- Bereavement
- Grief
- Mourning
What is complicated grief?
- Grief that is overwhelming or does not progress through the mourning process
- Grief that affects both parents and siblings
- Grief that only occurs weeks or months after the loss
- Grief that only occurs after two or more losses
Which factors may influence the nature, intensity and duration of normal grief?
- Whether the grieving person is male or female
- How many children there are in the extended family
- The grieving person’s culture, beliefs, personality and coping style
- Whether the grieving person has money for therapy
Which of the following is the first stage of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of bereavement?
- Acceptance
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Denial
What is the final stage of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grieving?
- The bereaved person is in a state of denial and disbelief
- The bereaved person has come to accept the loss and is working to rebuild their lives
- The bereaved person is dealing with guilt for not doing things differently
- The bereaved person is sad and depressed
The grieving process:
- Is likely to include a wide range of emotions, including anger and sadness
- Has a set time limit of one month and then should be over
- Will end sooner if the grieving person is told ‘it’s time to move on’
- Can be predicted as it follows a set order of tasks
Before the death of a child, giving parents some choices and control helps because:
- Planning for the child’s death is difficult
- They can’t blame the healthcare practitioner if something goes wrong
- They need to make all the important decisions
- It empowers them in a situation that is mostly out of their control
Immediately after the child’s death it is important to:
- Hold hands in silence around the child’s bed
- Allow the family time to say their goodbye’s in a private space and offer practical support
- Remove the child’s body from the room as soon as possible
- Discourage the family from asking too many questions
When supporting children who are grieving:
- Do not try to soften the reality by avoiding the topic or using phrases such as ‘gone to sleep’
- Do not encourage them to talk about their feelings or write them down
- Keep them away from their friends and peers for a couple of weeks
- Allow them to set their own routines and go to sleep whenever they want
What is a characteristic of grief in 2 to 6 year olds?
- They do not understand that death is final
- They accept that dead people will not return
- They often run away from home as they fear that they may also die
- They show few signs of grief if supported by the family
How might adolescents express grief?
- They refuse to acknowledge death
- They may become afraid of the dark
- They rationalise it and do not show external signs of sadness
- In a similar way to adults
How can you manage anticipatory grief in children?
- Encourage the family not to express their emotions in front of the child
- Encourage the child to communicate what they are feeling and give them permission to show emotions
- Encourage the family to be strong and to go on as if the loss has not occurred
- Ask family members not to discuss death or the disease in front of the children
Which of the following signs could indicate a child is experiencing complicated grief?
- Repeated statements of wanting to join the person who has died
- Being tearful when talking about the person who has died
- Talking about their memories of the person who has died
- Emotions that change within a short space of time
What should you do if you think a child is experiencing complicated grief?
- Help the child identify new coping techniques
- Refer the child to a professional, such as a psychologist
- Prescribe sedatives to help them sleep
- Advise the child not to discuss the loss as this will only increase their sadness
The parents of an eight-year-old ask for your help, because the child does not want to attend the funeral of the three-year-old sibling. How would you advise them in this matter?
- Tell them to ‘force’ the child to attend
- Suggest they rather convince the child to attend, but not give any details about what will happen at the funeral
- If children do not want to participate in the rituals it is important to give them the opportunity for an alternative goodbye such as visiting a place with special memories
- It is too emotionally painful for children under ten years of age to attend a funeral
What is a memory box?
- A special place in a church where the family can sit
- A child’s will that lists who should inherit their clothes and toys
- A collection of photos, videos, written stories, letters and other items to remember the deceased
- A small coffin made for infants
Healthcare providers can deal effectively with their own grief by:
- Participating in debriefing sessions and seeking professional counselling and pastoral care
- Spending long hours at work, ensuring all their records are up to date
- Listening to their favourite music in the car
- Avoiding thinking too much about the sad aspects of their work