Psychological Sense of Community, Perceived Social Support, and Grief Experiences Among Bereaved College Students

Approximately 22 to 30 percent of college students have lost a family member or close friend to a death loss (Balk, 1997; Balk, Walker, & Baker, 2010). College students can experience symptoms of grief that result in the impairment of personal, social, and academic functioning (Taub & Servaty-Seib, 2008). These symptoms can include insomnia, decreased academic performance, and significantly lower grade point averages (Hardison, Neimeyer, & Lichstein, 2005; Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006). Also, there is a small portion of college students who report symptoms consistent with complicated grief such as agitated depression, chronic illness, enduring and intense clinical reactions such as guilt, suicidal ideation, serious sleep difficulties, significant disturbances in self-esteem, job and school performances, and interpersonal relationships (Balk et al., 2010). Researchers have also shown that grief establishes boundaries, highlights the separateness of individuality, and possibly hinders resolutions of bereavement (Balk, Tyson-Rawson, & Colletti-Wetzel; 1993). This demonstrates that college students are not immune to the debilitating symptoms of grief.