V6 Marriage stats, Death Impacts, Bushfire Support

Authored by Anne Corden, Michael Hirst and Katharine Nice, this research report investigates the economic and financial consequences of bereavement for a surviving spouse or partner and their household, using a mixed methods, prospective design.

The study involves a quantitative element based on longitudinal analysis of the British Household Panel Survey, and a qualitative element comprising personal interviews with people at different life stages whose partner has died.

Among its key findings the study found that older women faced increased risk of persistent or recurrent poverty for two or three years after the death and that perceptions of adverse change in financial circumstances following a partner's death were related to increased psychological distress among women, for up to two years after the death.

The research will contribute to debate about personal responsibility for financial affairs, and institutional arrangements that shape the financial impact of bereavement.

For further details, including a link to download the report, please visit the:
Social Policy Research Unity at the University of York, UK

Parents are losing up to $600,000 in lost income and take, on average, sixteen weeks of unpaid leave following the death of their child, according to a new report. The report, Beyond the Death of a Child, identifies the social impacts and economic costs to families and the community during the first three years following the death of a child.

The Compassionate Friends Victoria commissioned the two year research study which commenced in October 2004.

Almost half (46%) of the 103 bereaved families interviewed incurred significant medical, hospital and other health related costs (including counselling) and over 70 per cent of these experienced moderate to extreme difficulty in meeting such expenses. One couple whose 21 year-old daughter was killed in a car accident had to stop counselling after just two sessions because of the costs. Only a reduced counselling charge and financial help from local churches allowed the counselling and other debts such as funeral costs to be met.

Of the 103 bereaved families interviewed for the report, 23 parents chose, or were forced, to resign from their employment following the death of a child. The periods of leave taken varied from a low of two weeks to a high of two years and eight months, with an average leave without pay of 15.5 weeks that cost family members around $8000 on average. Almost three quarters of the family members indicated that the impact on their work performance was very or extremely significant.

The report also put forward 20 recommendations directed to government and non-government bodies covering: bereavement support programs, economic costs, employment, education and research.

The report was undertaken by Dr Jon Stebbins and Dr Trevor Bartrouney, who between them have extensive experience in social research and working with bereaved families.

Emeritus Professor Dennis Klass of Webster University, St Louis, a leading researcher on bereavement, said of the report: "Beyond the death of a child is ground breaking. The study expands our understanding of the effects of a child's death well beyond the scope of the previous scholarly and clinical literature about bereaved parents and their families".

The authors of the report were Dr Jon Stebbins, D.Ed., Traumatic Bereavement Consultant & Researcher and Dr Trevor Batrouney, Adjunct Professor, RMIT University.

The report, Beyond the Death of a Child, identifies the social impacts and economic costs to families and the community during the first three years following the death of a child.

PDF downloads of extracts from the report are available below as well as an order form to purchase the full report.

For further information, including a link to download an order form for the full report or a summary of the report, refer to the following page
Beyond the death of a child research report.

Life after death presents twenty-four unique and captivating case studies of bereavement. Mourners of diverse social and cultural backgrounds relate various personal experiences of loss through the deaths of children, siblings, spouses, parents and grandparents.

This 291 page book by the Victorian researcher Dr. Philip Bachelor, explores the phenomena of bereavement, mourning and commemoration.

This book is available within Australia for $12.95 (plus $5 postage and handling).
Outside of Australia it is available for $AU11.65 (plus $AU15 postage and handling).

Purchase online within Australia

Purchase online outside Australia

Download an order form
Offer Expires: September 30th 2009
This newsletter is sent to over 6,000 subscribers every month to keep you informed of what is happening in the fields of grief and bereavement, as well as what's new at ACGB.

In addition, funding has been approved for 18-months to provide 12 support groups for adults bereaved through the bushfires. These groups will be located in fire-affected locations and metropolitan areas, in accordance with the requests of people wishing to attend. The first of these groups have already met in the Kinglake area. A brochure detailing these Bushfire Discussion and Support Groups can be downloaded here.

While on secondment to VBRA, Anne Giljohann prepared a document entitled Bushfire discussion and support groups for people who have lost someone close to them: Information for professionals. This document, which has been published by the Department of Human Services (VIC), outlines the principles underpinning the bushfire support group program and considers issues such as:

- What is a support group?
- Support groups not therapy groups
- How can discussion/support groups help?
- Style and format of the groups
- The role of facilitators
- Recruitment and support of facilitators
- Partnerships with local agencies
- Role of the bushfire support groups  
coordinator
- Intake/triage
- Administrative support
- Evaluation
- Establishing groups
- Advertising the groups, and
- Location and timing of groups.

A copy of this document is available here.

It is hoped that funding will also be made available to establish groups for people who are seriously affected but not bereaved, as well as the possibility of groups for children if these are required.

ACGB staff have also been active providing a series of one-day training programs for over 300 Case Managers working with the Victorian Bushfire Case Management Service. This training has considered contemporary approaches to understanding traumatic bereavement, case studies of complex bereavement, assessment of resiliency and risk, support and intervention and compassion fatigues and self-care.

Remember that details on a range of bushfire specific services can be found on our dedicated web page located here.