Child Life Grief and Bereavement Questions and Answers

Question 1

A 4-year-old whose sibling recently died in the hospital tells a Child Life Specialist, 'My brother is sleeping.
When is he coming home to play?' This statement primarily reflects which aspect of a preschooler's understanding of death?

Accepted Answer

A belief in the reversibility of death.

Answer

An understanding of the universality of death.

Answer

The personification of death as a character.

Answer

Curiosity about the biological aspects of death.

Question 2

A Child Life Specialist is helping a bereaved family create a memory box with photos, the patient's favorite blanket, and handprint molds. This intervention primarily supports which of J. William Worden's tasks of mourning?

Accepted Answer

To find an enduring connection with the deceased while embarking on a new life.

Answer

To adjust to a world without the deceased.

Answer

To accept the reality of the loss.

Answer

To process the pain of grief.

Question 3

A 15-year-old whose best friend died in a car accident begins engaging in reckless driving and experimenting with alcohol. This behavior is a common grief response in adolescents and can be understood as:

Accepted Answer

A type of risk-taking behavior to cope with emotional pain.

Answer

A form of developmental regression.

Answer

An expression of magical thinking.

Answer

An attempt to accelerate independence.

Question 4

A Child Life Specialist is preparing to talk with a 7-year-old patient about the recent death of his grandfather. Based on this developmental stage, the specialist should be prepared for the child to:

Accepted Answer

Understand that death is final but not that it is universal.

Answer

View the death as temporary and reversible.

Answer

Have a fully adult understanding of death's finality and inevitability.

Answer

Primarily react to the separation and changes in routine.

Question 5

Which of the following scenarios is the BEST example of disenfranchised grief in a healthcare setting?

Accepted Answer

A nurse quietly mourning the death of a long-term patient but feeling unable to express her sadness at work.

Answer

A parent openly crying and sharing memories of their child who just died.

Answer

A sibling expressing anger at the medical team after a failed resuscitation attempt.

Answer

A family holding a memorial service for their child in the hospital's chapel.

Question 6

A child life specialist is supporting a 10-year-old sibling whose brother is in palliative care. The specialist encourages the sibling to journal, helping him to identify and express his complex feelings of sadness, anger, and guilt. This intervention is primarily focused on which of Worden's tasks of mourning?

Accepted Answer

Processing the pain of grief.

Answer

Adjusting to a world without the deceased.

Answer

Finding an enduring connection with the deceased.

Answer

Accepting the reality of the loss.

A 4-year-old whose sibling recently died in the hospital tells a Child Life Specialist, 'My brother is sleeping.When is he coming home to play?' This statement primarily reflects which aspect of a preschooler's understanding of death?

A 4-year-old whose sibling recently died in the hospital tells a Child Life Specialist, 'My brother is sleeping.
When is he coming home to play?' This statement primarily reflects which aspect of a preschooler's understanding of death?