Loss upon loss: The impact of death after divorce

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Abstract
Studies of grief and bereavement have long recognized that attachment and relationship to the deceased is a critical determinant of the intensity of grief. Research has also noted the effect of ambivalent relationships on grief resolutions. Yet, most studies have tended to focus on the bereavement of immediate family and close kin. This study explores the bereavement of persons who have been divorced and then experienced the death of their ex-spouse. Based upon indepth interviews with a limited sample, this exploratory study considers the ways in which the grief of ex-spouse differs from and its similar to the grief experienced by widows, with rising divorce rates, this is likely to be an increasing issue in the future. Generally, if there was sufficient time, the loss due to divorce was completed and this minimized the impact of the death. When there was not time for the initial loss to be resolved, grief was complicated. Funeral rituals, the fact that the loss was not socially recognized, the lack and/or nature of social support, and the reactions of children tended to create special difficulties for the ex-spouse. Implications of this research for grief counselors, death educators, and for further research are considered.

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