Running head: TALKING TO YOUNG CHILDREN ABOUT DEATH i Talking to Young Children ...

201 Pages·2013·2.57 MB·English

Running head: TALKING TO YOUNG CHILDREN ABOUT DEATH i

Talking to Young Children About Death: An Investigation of Parent-Child Conversations

Sarah-Jane Renaud
Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology
McGill University, Montreal
PhD in School/Applied Child Psychology
August 2013

A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy in School/Applied Child Psychology
 Sarah-Jane Renaud 2013
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Abstract
Parent-child conversations have remained on the periphery of studies investigating
children’s developmental understanding of death and the circumstances under which
death is first discussed with children have not yet been documented in the literature. The
current program of research sought to investigate the content of parent-child
conversations about death and the impact of such discussions. This dissertation is
comprised of three manuscripts that collectively contribute to the literature by
documenting young children’s early experiences with death, exploring the role of
parental beliefs and attitudes in parental explanations of death, and evaluating children’s
feelings and understanding of death after such conversations. The first manuscript
reports on parental use of religious and biological explanations of death. Parents (n =
130) of children 1- to 7-years of age completed an online questionnaire. The types of
explanations of death provided by parents were examined in relation to parental
religiosity, afterlife beliefs, death anxiety, and perceptions of children’s physical and
emotional reactions to the conversations. The most frequent types of explanations
provided to children were religious-spiritual. Parental beliefs in afterlife and death
anxiety were able to accurately predict whether parents provided a religious-spiritual
explanation. The majority of parents perceived no physical and emotional reactions in
their children, however, there was a positive correlation between the biological
explanation of the irreversibility of death and perceptions of children’s generalized
anxiety. The second manuscript provides information on children’s earliest
conversations about death and parental satisfaction with such conversations. Parents (n =
140) of children 2- to 7-years responded to an online survey regarding their children’s
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experiences with death and the circumstances, conversations, and explanations related to
these experiences. The majority of parent-child conversations about death were first
initiated when children were between 3- and 3.5-years of age and conversations were
most likely initiated by parents. A subset of parents (n = 88) provided narratives of the
explanations of death that they gave their child. Satisfaction was higher in those parents
who provided explanations of a continued existence after death compared to those who
discussed the absence of a future physical relationship after death. The final manuscript
reports on children (n = 48) 3- to 8-years that came to the lab and had a conversation
about death with their parents. Children also completed measures of fearfulness and
death understanding. Children’s understanding of the cessation of bodily functions at
death was predicted by discussions of the physical causes of death. Understanding of the
irreversibility of death was also related to the content of discussions, as those parents who
addressed a continued existence had children with lower understanding scores compared
to those who discussed the causality of death. Higher levels of understanding death were
correlated with higher levels of fear. Previous researchers who have reported that
children’s fear of death decreases as their biological understanding of death increases
have recommended that death be discussed in biological terms with children. The current
research introduces a new alternative, that a religious-spiritual conceptualization of death
may act as a buffer to children’s fear of death and danger. Taken together, findings from
these three studies provide empirical support to enhance the developmental literature on
children’s understanding of death, as well as contribute a new line of inquiry to the field
that includes young children’s religious-spiritual conceptualizations of death and parent-
child conversations.
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Résumé
Les conversations entre les parents et leurs enfants au sujet de leur compréhension de la
mort sont restées a la périphérie des études de recherches, ainsi que les circonstances
dans lesquelles ces conversations existent qui n’a pas été explorer. Ce programme de
recherche à comme objectif principale d’explorer le contenue des conversations entres
des parents et leurs enfants au sujet de la mort, ainsi que d’explorer l’impacte de ces
discussions. Cette dissertation et compris de trois manuscrits qui ensemble contribue a la
littérature par une documentation des expériences vécus par des jeunes enfants auprès de
la mort, une exploration du rôle des croyances et attitudes parentales dans les explications
offerte aux enfants, et un évaluation des émotions et compréhension de la mort auprès des
enfant suite au conversations avec leur parents a ce sujet. Le premier manuscrit décrit
l’utilisation parentale d’explications religieuses ou biologique de la mort. Les parents (n
= 130) d’enfants âgées entre 1 a 7 ans on remplis un formulaire en ligne. Les types
d’explications pour la mort offertes par les parents on été examinée ainsi que la relation
entre les perceptions parentales des réactions affectifs et physiques de leur enfant, leur
croyances religieuses, leur croyances en vie après la mort, et l’anxiété parentales au sujet
de la mort. L’explication parentale la plus fréquente offerte aux enfants était religieux-
spirituel. Les croyances parentales dans la vie après la mort ainsi que l’anxiété des
parents au sujet de la mort a démontré une relation positive avec les explications
religieux-spirituel. La majorité des parents n’ont pas perçu une réaction physique ou
affectif chez leurs enfants, par contre, une relation positive a été démontrée entre une
explication biologique que la mort est irréversible et les perceptions parentales de
l’anxiété générale chez un enfant. Le deuxième manuscrit décrit les premières
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conversations au sujet de la mort ainsi que la satisfaction parentale. Les parents (n = 140)
d’enfants âgées entres 2 a 7 ans on répondu a un formulaire en ligne au sujet des
expériences de leurs enfants auprès de la mort, les circonstances, ainsi que les
conversations et les explications offertes reliées a ces expériences. La majorité des
conversations entres les parents et leurs enfants étaient initiées quand l’enfant était entre
3 et 3.5 ans, et la plupart des conversations était initiées par les parents. Une minorité des
parents (n = 88) on offerte des récits exactes de leurs explications au sujet de la mort. La
satisfaction parentale était plus hautes chez les parents qui on offerte des explications
d’une existence continué après la mort, en comparaison avec les parents qui on discuter
l’absence d’une existence physique après la mort. Le troisième et finale manuscrit décrit
les enfants (n = 48) âgées entre 3 a 8 ans qui sont venue au laboratoire et qui on eu une
conversation avec leur parents au sujet de la mort. Les enfants on aussi compléter des
mesures de leurs compréhensions de la mort et leurs peurs. La compréhension des enfants
au sujet des cessations des fonctions corporel à la mort était prédite par des discussions
des causes physiques de la mort. Une compréhension de la irréversibilité de la mort était
reliée au contenue des discussions parentales, car les parents qui on adressée une
existence continue avait des enfants avec des niveau de compréhension plus basse en
comparaison avec ceux qui on discuter la causalité de la mort. Une compréhension plus
élevée de la mort était reliée à un niveau de peur plus élevée. Autres chercheurs qui on
décrit que la peur de la mort chez les enfants réduisent avec une augmentation de leur
compréhension des causes biologiques de la mort on recommander que la mort soit
discutées au niveau biologiques. Ce programme de recherche introduit une nouvelle
alternative, que une conceptualisation religieux-spirituel de la mort peut possiblement
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réduire la peur au sujet de la mort et danger chez les enfants. Ensemble, les résultats de
ces trois études offre des données empiriques pour améliorer la littérature
développementale au sujet de la compréhension de la mort chez les enfants, ainsi que
contribue une nouvelle ligne de recherche a ce domaine qui inclut les conceptualisations
religieux-spirituel chez les enfants et le conversations entres parents et enfants.
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Acknowledgments
This doctoral journey would not have been possible without the many people who
supported me throughout my time at McGill University. First and foremost, I extend my
sincere thanks to my doctoral supervisor, Dr. Victoria Talwar. From the first day we met
you have offered kindness and support, while maintaining high expectations and
consideration for my goals and values.
I would also like to acknowledge my committee members for supporting me
through the dissertation process. Thank you Dr. Michael Schleifer for your excitement
and dedication to the project, as well as your availability and feedback on the writing of
each of these manuscripts. Thank you Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky for your feedback and
advice both during the proposal stage of this research program and into the final stages
leading to submission. This final draft was helped along by your thorough review. I
would also like to thank my co-author and lab mate Paraskevi Engarhos for your
dedication to recruitment and collection of the data.
My sincere appreciation goes to all of my lab mates and colleagues who have
become great friends through the challenges of the dissertation process. To my great
friends and lab mates Cindy Nuselovici, Mina Popliger, and Sarah Yachison, thank you
for your continued support and interest in my progress. To Kelsey Moore, Christine
Saykaly, and Shanna Williams, you have become some of my closest friends through
some of the most challenging times. Thank you for the late night writing sessions, edits,
and support in the completion of my dissertation. Finally, thank you to my dearest friend
Elizabeth Roberts. Your energy has been contagious and admirable. Your dedication to
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your research and our profession is outstanding. You have been a mentor and
cheerleader throughout our seven years of graduate work. Thank you.
I am delighted to thank all of my friends and family from across Ontario and
Quebec. To my Windsor friends, Sarah T, Steph, and Jesse, your awe and celebration
throughout every stage of the doctoral journey has been amazing. To my Montreal
family, John and Deidre, you have given me a home away from home and provided the
guidance and support that I needed whenever I needed it. Thank you. To Marika, I am so
pleased to call you family, thank you for all of the last minute edits. To my Grandma,
Pépé, and Nana. I am honored to be your granddaughter and tell you all that I am
finished my PhD! Your support and lessons throughout the years helped shape me into
the dedicated student that I am.
To my parents and sister, the three of you have always been my rock. Mom and
Dad, you have shown me the way and taught me the lessons of dedication and hard work.
Thank you for being my greatest supporters and being proud of every single one of my
achievements. It is your enthusiasm and confidence that helped me pursue and complete
a PhD. Finally, to my partner Sean. You have been there every day since I started this
journey, even as far back as deciding to submit an application to McGill. You have
shown such patience and unwavering support. I love you and I am so excited to start our
new journey.
I would like to dedicate this work in part to all of the amazing children and
adolescents I have worked with over the years. Your enthusiastic and honest quest for
answers, as well as the bravery you displayed during difficult times of illness, inspired
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these studies. I would also like to thank all of the parents and children who volunteered
their time to this program of study. Without you it would not have been possible.
Finally, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my mother, Sandra Renaud
RN BScn. You have set such an amazing example of the importance of each individual
we meet in our professional lives. You are truly dedicated to your work and your patients
and that is one of the greatest values you have shared with me. Your sacrifice and
commitment to my achievements and happiness…there are no words. Thank you.
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Contributions of Authors
The studies reported in this dissertation are co-authored, although I am the primary author
on each of the three manuscripts. All manuscripts are co-authored by Paraskevi
Engarhos, Dr. Michael Schleifer and Dr. Victoria Talwar. As primary author, I
conceptualized each of these studies (including the design of the parent questionnaire,
selection of instruments, research questions, and data analyses), as well as wrote the
current dissertation in its entirety. My doctoral supervisor, Dr. Talwar, has served in an
advisory capacity during the conceptualization of these studies, formulation of the
research questions, and writing of manuscripts. Dr. Schleifer was involved in the
development of the larger research project that encompasses all three studies. Finally,
Paraskevi Engarhos was involved in the development of the project and the data
collection for all studies. This work was supported by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada over the course of three years.