The relationship between grief adjustment and continuing bonds for parents who have lost a child.

This article presents findings from a study on the impact of a child's death on parents. We explored the prominence and adaptiveness of parents' continuing bonds expressions, psychological adjustment, and grief reactions. A qualitative case study methodology was used to describe six cases. Participants were classified into two groups based on scores on the Inventory of Complicated Grief. Commonalities in themes on the Continuing Bonds Interview and projective drawings were assessed. Those in the Non-Complicated Grief Group reported internalization of positive qualities and identification with the deceased child as a role model, whereas participants in the Complicated Grief Group did not report these experiences. In addition, the drawings of those in the Non-Complicated Grief Group were evaluated as more adaptive than those in the Complicated Grief Group.

Projective drawings as measures of psychosocial functioning in siblings of pediatric cancer patients from the Camp Okizu study.

This research was conducted at a summer camp for siblings of children with cancer. Participants included 77 siblings (ages 6-17 years) and their parents. Before attending camp, 18 of the siblings had experienced the death of their brother or sister with cancer. Projective measures were administered before attending camp and 3 months after camp. These included the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) and the Kinetic Family Drawing-Revised (KFD-R). Siblings were administered both the HFD and KFD-R; parents were given the KFD-R. On the HFD, siblings' emotional distress scores decreased significantly pre- to postcamp. On the KFD-R, nonbereaved siblings and parents showed significant improvement in family environment scores. Bereaved siblings and parents also showed improvement (although nonsignificant). These results support Camp Okizu's effectiveness in increasing siblings' emotional well-being yet underscore the need to implement interventions to address family communication for both bereaved and nonbereaved families.