Factors that affect grieving in children include:
- Age of the person who died and the age of the survivor.
- How and when the death occurred - expected or unexpected, violent or natural.
- Relationship between the survivor and the person who died.
- Survivor's support system.
- Emotional and mental health of an individual griever.
- Compounding losses; moving to a new house, changing schools, financial difficulties.
- Events surrounding the death. For example, was the child included and informed through the entire process or sent to a relative's house for "protection?"
- Legal issues: including courtroom hearings, lawsuits, insurance settlements, disputes, etc.
- How the family system grieves greatly affects the child's grief.
Text provided by: Caring Connections, A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program, University of Utah Health Sciences Center. Caring Connections is sponsored in part by: The Ben B. and Iris M. Margolis Foundation.