Complicated Grief

Introduction

Grief that persons experience when they incur a loss that is not or cannot be openly acknowledged, socially sanctioned or publicly mourned.

Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, Professor of Gerontology at the College of New Rochelle, New York

Let’s get started

Think About It …

Think back to the losses you have experienced. Were there times you felt your grief was being minimised or dismissed?

Have you heard any of the following statements?

It was just a dog/cat/pet.

You can always get another one.

Isn’t it about time you got over it?

These and similar statements are not intended to cause pain or upset the bereaved individual. Statements like these highlight losses that some people and the wider society do not recognise as being significant or worthy of grief.

Some help

Potential Causes of Disenfranchised Grief

Was the exercise helpful?

Did you know?

Disenfranchised grief can lead to complicated grief. Complicated grief is a syndrome that affects 10% to 20% of grievers regardless of age.

Potential Causes of Disenfranchised Grief

Disenfranchised grief is not acknowledged or recognised by society. There are potential reasons that Kenneth J. Doka believes to be responsible for this.

The loss isn’t seen as worthy of grief (pet loss)
The relationship is stigmatised (the bereaved person was having an extra-marital affair with the deceased)
The mechanism of death is stigmatised (suicide or overdose)
The person grieving is not recognised as a griever (for example, co-worker or ex-partner)
The way someone is grieving is stigmatised (for example, the absence of an outward grief response or extreme grief response)

Shades of Disenfranchised Grief

Select the play icon to watch the video.

Suffering in Silence

People suffering from disenfranchised grief bottle up their emotions and suffer in silence.

Select each tile to learn how your client may be feeling if they are suffering from disenfranchised grief.

Resentment

Feeling resentment towards family and friends that they believe should have provided better emotional support.

Unwell

Feelings of grief can reduce a bereaved person’s immune system, leaving them vulnerable to illness.

Difficulty in mourning successfully

It becomes much harder to mourn successfully and the mourner may need professional help.

Disenfranchised Grief Scenario: Activity

Sara Wilson

Sara Wilson, a young woman, has brought her 10-year-old dog, Mindy, to your practice. Mindy has serious injuries sustained from a car accident. The vet does not think she will recover.

Sara is agitated and distressed. She informs you that Mindy escaped from the garden because she had not secured the gate properly.

During the consultation, Sara tells you that she rescued Mindy from a dog shelter as a puppy. Mindy was left at the shelter along with her litter brothers and sisters.

Sara also talks about her partner who laughs at her for treating Mindy as a baby as they could not have a family.

Sara is concerned that her partner is not going to understand why she is so upset at the thought of Mindy dying.

Check your understanding

Disenfranchised Grief Scenario: Activity

Sara Wilson

What are the complicating factors that might influence the grief process for Sara?

Select the correct options and submit.