A Review of the Literature on Three Types of Disenfranchised Grief ...

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McRoy, Grotevant, & Bryant, 1997). In many studies relating to loss, bereavement, and grief, participants are recruited from grief support groups ra<strong>the</strong>r than randomly sampled from <strong>the</strong> larger population <strong>of</strong> grievers. Because grievers who seek help from support groups or volunteer to be research participants may fundamentally differ from those who do not, <strong>the</strong> results cannot be generalized to all grievers. Additional methodological problems include issues with time lapse and recall bias, as well as inaccurate reporting due to sensitivity <strong>of</strong> subject (DeSimone, 1996). Implications Implications for practice. Survivors whose grief has been disenfranchised tend to have very different bereavement experiences than enfranchised grievers (Doka, 2002). The lack <strong>of</strong> recognition, social support, and understanding are unique to disenfranchised grievers; <strong>the</strong>se issues can serve to complicate <strong>the</strong> grieving process by inhibiting effective coping and causing <strong>the</strong> griever to feel alienated and confused. Because disenfranchised grievers generally have limited access to informal social support from friends and family to help facilitate grieving, <strong>the</strong>y are more likely to seek out formal support from pr<strong>of</strong>essionals. It is imperative that <strong>the</strong> practitioners serving this population <strong>of</strong> grievers be informed about disenfranchised grief and all <strong>of</strong> its implications because uninformed service providers can actually serve to fur<strong>the</strong>r disenfranchise <strong>the</strong> survivor's grief and impede <strong>the</strong>ir grieving process. Health care pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, such as physicians and nurses, and mental health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, such as counselors and <strong>the</strong>rapists, need to be educated so that <strong>the</strong>y can provide disenfranchised grievers with <strong>the</strong> guidance and support <strong>the</strong>y need to effectively cope. For example, service providers working with bereaved grandparents should be aware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir experience <strong>of</strong> "double grief' and <strong>the</strong>ir tendency to minimize or ignore <strong>the</strong>ir own grief while focusing on <strong>the</strong> needs <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs (Fry, 1997; Ponzetti & Johnson, 1991). Similarly, pr<strong>of</strong>essionals serving relinquishing birthmo<strong>the</strong>rs should be aware <strong>of</strong> 36
<strong>the</strong> intense shame and guilt associated with <strong>the</strong>ir bereavement experience (Aloi, 2009). And finally, those working with bereaved ex-spouses should be aware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> likelihood <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir facing misunderstanding and disapproval from o<strong>the</strong>rs (Doka, 1986). Implications for future research. In order for service providers to be adequately informed and to have <strong>the</strong> resources necessary to effectively respond to <strong>the</strong> unique needs <strong>of</strong> disenfranchised grievers, fur<strong>the</strong>r empirical research needs to be conducted. Ideally <strong>the</strong>se studies would utilize random sampling methods and would be representative <strong>of</strong> both genders, as well as a range <strong>of</strong> ages and ethnicities. Not only will more information be available, but <strong>the</strong> increased awareness may also serve to enfranchise those who have previously been disenfranchised. The research that is currently available is helpful but limited. We are in need <strong>of</strong> a deeper understanding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bereavement experiences <strong>of</strong> commonly disenfranchised groups, how and why disenfranchisement occurs, and how disenfranchisement affects grievers' well-being and ability to cope. With regard to bereaved grandparents, more studies are needed that focus on how grandparents experience, react to, and cope with <strong>the</strong> loss on a personal level, as well as how intergenerational families influence one ano<strong>the</strong>r's bereavement and grief experiences (Nehari et ai.,2007). Future inquiries should also explore grandparents' tendency to minimize or ignore <strong>the</strong>ir own grief in order to comfort and care for <strong>the</strong>ir grieving adult child, and <strong>the</strong> tendency for grandparent grief to go unacknowledged by o<strong>the</strong>rs who do not recognize <strong>the</strong>m as legitimate grievers. These issues demand fur<strong>the</strong>r study as <strong>the</strong>y have great bearing on grandparents' ability to move through <strong>the</strong> grief process. While numerous scholars have explored <strong>the</strong> grief <strong>of</strong> relinquishing birtluno<strong>the</strong>rs, only one has done so using <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> disenfranchised grief as a lens (Aloi, 2009). More conceptual 37
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Page 12 and 13: disenfranchised grief situation fal
Page 14 and 15: Introduction to Grandparent Grief C
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Page 22 and 23: contribute to feelings of</
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Page 28 and 29: Introduction to Grief of</s
Page 30 and 31: Doka (1986) found that the<
Page 32 and 33: Many bereaved ex-spouses repOli fee
Page 34 and 35: participants had attended t
Page 38 and 39: papers like Aloi's, as well as empi
Page 40 and 41: References Aloi, 1.A. (2009). Nursi
Page 42 and 43: Hyrkas, K., Kaunonen, M., & Paunone

A Review of the Literature on Three Types of Disenfranchised Grief ...

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