Week 5: Children and Adolescence

Question 1

Death of a caregiver will have an impact starting at what age?

Answer 1

• 6 months
• Infants will respond to death by disturbance in sleep and difficulty in self soothing

Question 2

What are the leading cause of death in infants (ages 1-4)

Answer 2

Total: 3,676
1. Accidents - 1149
2. Congenital Anomalies - 416
3. Malignant neoplasms - 285
4. Homicide - 284

Males (2,041) Female (1,635)

Question 3

What are the leading causes of death in children (5-9)

Answer 3

Total: 2,333
1. Accidents - 714
2. Malignant neoplasms - 371
3. Congenital anomalies - 192
4. Assault (homicide) - 155

Males (1290) Female (1043)

Question 4

What are the leading causes of death in children (ages 10-14)

Answer 4

Total: 3,164
1. Accidents - 778
2. Suicide - 534
3. Malignant neoplasms - 404
4. Congenital anomalies - 189

Males (1896) Females (1268)

Question 5

Explain children and death

Answer 5

Child Development: based on psychosocial development - rather than chronological development

• For loss to be recognized (thought must be formed) death is irreversible, all life functions end the time of death, everything that is alive eventually dies
• Belief in afterlife between ages 7-11

Question 6

What are the different stages of death in children?

Answer 6

*Stage One (3-5 years of age) – reversible (no definitive death)
- Key Features - “can get fixed at the hospital”
- Life continues despite death (think, eat, sleep)
- However, death is not much fun
- “Can’t Mom/Dad return? – Go to hospital?
*Stage Two (5-9 years of age) – final, yet avoidable (death as person)
- Key features – “can outmaneuver death”
- Parachutes, cannons, or other methods – checking under beds and in closets
- “Maybe he got out in time”
*Stage Three (10+ years of age) – final
- Key Features – “death is the end”
- Universal, irreversible and non-functional
- “a more mature approach”

Question 7

What are some key features of development?

Answer 7

• As early as 3 or 4 (tame death vs. death denied)
• Death and money: need to understand life before death
• Mature concept of death: 7-9 years of age

Question 8

What are the leading causes of death in adolescence?

Answer 8

Total: 10,258
1. Accidents
2. Suicide
3. Homicide
4. Cancer
5. Heart disease

Males (7361) Females (2897)

Question 9

Explain death in the lives of adolescents

Answer 9

• Top 3 leading causes of death are all human induces
• Deaths occur quickly and unexpectedly (trauma and violence)
• Greatest number of deaths are due to motor vehicle accidents
• The first age category in which death of an offspring can occur