Early Grieving Has Powerful Effect on Lifespan and Biological Ageing
Grieving, especially at a young age, can affect how we age and, potentially, our lifespan.
Grief is a part of life, not a disease or a disorder, yet too many will categorize it in one of those fashions. Grieving is normal, and there is no scientifically known way to stage it, but we are now looking at grief that reaches into the future. Losing someone, or even a pet, results in a sense of loss that can be unimaginably painful, but when it strikes children, there is a long-term price to be paid.
Worldwide, thousands of children are grieving after losing not simply their mother, their parents, or their extended families in war–torn nations. These children grieve a loss that extends beyond the family, including their way of life, their culture, their religion, the towns in which they lived, and the safety and comfort they expected. Their philosophical feet have been taken from them, and they are floating in a world of uncertainty. How can we expect it won’t linger into their adulthood?
Children often lose a loved one, but their needs during this time are not fully known. While it is known that children and adults have very different ideas about death, not much study has been done on this from a child’s point of view. The things that kids ask about something can tell you a lot…
