ADOLESCENTS’ RESPONSES TO COPING WITH GRIEF

Abstract

The objective was to analyze the responses of adolescents in coping with grief according to scientific publications dated between the years 2009-2019. The articles were extracted from the Virtual Health Library and U.S. National Library of Medicine databases. The Science and Health Descriptors (DeCS) were used together with the Boolean operator (AND). The search strategy included the following combination: <<"Adaptation, Psychological" AND Bereavement AND Adolescent>>. The selection of material followed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Initially, 29 articles were obtained and 15 articles that answered the guiding question were selected. The results demonstrated that the main responses of bereaved young people were low academic performance/decreased educational aspirations and post-traumatic stress are more prevalent, both with 20% (n=3), changes in interpersonal relationships, social isolation, attachment to memories, anxiety, fear and depression both with 13.33% (n=2). In view of the results, it is observed that grief affects different areas of the adolescent's life, mainly at school, as well as causing post-traumatic stress that brings psychological damage and impacts on the physical health of the bereaved person.