Grief and bereavement among migrant youth in the Netherlands

Background
Dutch youth care providers can play a central role in grief care for migrant and refugee youth, but their awareness of, and expertise in, grief and bereavement related issues in this population is often limited. Research on cross-cultural aspects of grief and loss emphasizes the role of cultural models in shaping responses to loss (Rosenblatt, 2013).
Rationale
The aim of this study is to explore culturally diverse responses to bereavement in young migrants, to better understand ways to support them, and to increase youth care providers’ awareness and expertise.
Design
Six focus groups and 8 in-depth interviews with youth care workers were conducted, as well as 15 in-depth interviews with migrant youth (16-23 years) following loss of a parent. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) was used to analyze the data.
Results
Cultural models that shape youth’s responses to loss include silence in relation to death, changed roles within the family, the importance of grieving together, and taboos regarding seeking professional help. Sufficient trust has to be built before grief can be discussed. Youth care providers use various methods to discuss the topic. Understanding the cultural background of the client may be supported by a Cultural Formulation Interview (Smid et al., 2018) or a cultural mediator. There is a need for additional tools to assess the cultural context of bereavement and to facilitate collaboration with members of the youth’s support system.
Conclusion
Cultural models shape young’s people responses to loss in diverse ways, and there is a need to attend to the cultural background of the young person in order to assist bereaved youths in dealing with the loss.