Children’s perception of death and grief

Abstract

Death is a universal phenomenon. It is well-documented that the acceptance of the existence of death, making sense of death, and getting prepared or being ready for death is hard. This is particularly relevant to children as they may not have developed personal qualities such as abstractive thinking. They may not perceive what death means and know how to handle the loss of their loved ones. Children’s perceptions of death, loss, and grief may be affected by a multitude of factors (e.g., gender, culture, personal relationships). One of the most important factors appears to be the level of cognitive maturity in the perception and acceptance of death, loss, and grief among children. Children need support from their parents, caregivers, or loved ones to understand what death means, to accept the death phenomenon, and to deal with the consequences of one’s death in accordance with their cognitive abilities. The present article aims to explore how children perceive death and grieve, and to offer practical implications by analyzing their developmental levels.