When college students grieve: New insights into the effects of loss during emerging adulthood

Death Stud. 2022;46(9):2123-2133. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2021.1894510. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Abstract

The present study used a revised online version of the College Student Bereavement Survey (the CSBS-R) to study the effects of student grief on college academics and social life. Of the 969 respondents, 408 (42%) reported grieving a relatively recent death of a person of significance in their lives. Hierarchical multiple regressions using gender, multiple deaths, closeness to the deceased, and/or social media use as independent variables revealed closeness to the deceased explaining a significant proportion of the variance of academic and social/peer experiences. Findings underscore the need for student bereavement policies, and how social media and closeness to the deceased affect the college experience.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bereavement*
  • Grief
  • Humans
  • Peer Group
  • Students
  • Universities