The Researcher: This is How You Approach Young People in Mourning

Children and young people tend to turn to each other rather than to adults when they mourn the death of a peer. But it's extremely important that we adults keep an eye on warning signals such as them becoming absent from school, says researcher Rakel Eklund.

» Published: October 20 2024

The Researcher: This is How You Approach Young People in Mourning
Photo: Fredrik Sundvall/TT

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Three people in their late teens died and another teenager is being treated for life-threatening injuries after a fatal car accident outside Luleå on Saturday night. Relatives and loved ones are mourning, and on Monday, many will return to school and work after the weekend.

Rakel Eklund, a researcher at the Department of Women's and Children's Health at Uppsala University, believes that empathy, flexibility, and honesty are essential when adults encounter children and young adults who are grieving.

What we can see in research is that young people tend to turn to each other rather than their family members, she says, exemplifying with the funeral procession in Norrköping in connection with a similar fatal accident in May.

Sorrow may not always come immediately. It can sometimes take months and come unannounced.

These questions or feelings and thoughts may arise when we adults least expect it. For example, when we're unloading the dishwasher or driving a car. Then we adults must stop.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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