Coping with Ambiguous Loss: Psychological Effects of Unresolved Trauma
Losing a close person in a traumatic way can result in severe mental health consequences. One of the conditions that this kind of loss can cause is PTSD. Experiencing the unexpected death of someone you love, particularly if the circumstances were traumatic, can lead to recurring disturbing thoughts and images about that event.
Adolescent Development and the Burden of Tragic Awareness
Not knowing how a loved one died makes one dwell on the possible scenarios and go back to imagining them in detail time after time. Maria Suarez lost her mother in the 9/11 terrorist attack when she was a child, and the exact circumstances of her death were unknown. For a young girl entering a conscious age and starting to realize the consequences of that event, this process can prevent her from living through everyday adolescent experiences. Instead of focusing on preparing for adulthood, she has to go through the trauma that she did not get to overcome when she was younger, as she could not completely understand the importance of the event. For example, while her peers are busy starting to build romantic relationships, her mind is occupied with her mother’s demise, and she is not capable of focusing on the romantic aspect of her life.
Applying Developmental Theories in Interventions for Grieving Adolescents
For young adolescents like Maria, cognitive therapy would be the most effective intervention method to help her cope with grief and adjust to adult life (Kentor & Kaplow, 2020). As Maria experiences obsessive thoughts related to her mother’s death, cognitive behavioral therapy helps to unpack these thoughts and gradually get rid of them.
CBT’s focus is to introduce techniques and practices that alleviate these thoughts, which is why it would be helpful. It is also important to help adolescents form deeper connections with their family members to transform their grief into something positive (Phillips, 2021). This way, the trauma of parental loss will not occupy the puberty process, and there will be space for normal adolescent experiences as well.
The Relevance of 9/11 in Life Event Assessments for Millennials
As part of the social work assessment, millennials should be asked about the impact that the 9/11 tragedy might have had on them, as this kind of impact tends to be lifelong. Those who witnessed this event were at an early stage of life when it happened, and such a traumatic event happening at the beginning of one’s personal development will inevitably affect their mental health in the following years.
References
Kentor, R. A., & Kaplow, J. B. (2020). Supporting children and adolescents following parental bereavement: Guidance for health-care professionals. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(12), 889-898. Web.
Phillips, L. (2021). Untangling trauma and grief after loss. Counseling Today. Web.