Continuing Bonds with Children and Bereaved Young People: A Narrative Review

Background: Finding alternative ways to reconnect with the deceased is a common feature of bereavement. However, it is currently unclear how bereaved children/young people establish and develop a ‘continuing bond’ with deceased family members.
Aim: To investigate how bereaved young people continue bonds with deceased family members.
Design: A systematically conducted narrative review was conducted using six electronic databases; CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed and BNI. Limiters were applied to peer-reviewed articles published in English. Studies were assessed for methodological quality using the JBI Critical Appraisal Tools.
Results: Nineteen articles were included in the review. Three overarching themes were generated; unintended connections, intended connections, and internalised connections.
Conclusion: Bereaved young people establish a sense of connection with deceased family members through various means (e.g. unprovoked/spontaneous reminders, physical mementos, internalised memories). Some connections are unintended and occur spontaneously. However, other young people will specifically seek ways to remember the deceased to provide a sense of enduring connection.