A need for curiosity around bereavement

I was stirred by Dr Randles' article (The Psychologist, March 2025) regarding sibling bereavement in childhood. I was 14 when my only sibling, Paul [pictured together, above], aged 22, died by suicide in 1999 following a four-year grapple with severe mental illness. Reminiscent of Rebecca, I can identify with the 'sibling question' – the challenges posed with denial or acknowledgement of the sibling and 'feeling responsible' for reactions elicited.

Comparable to Rebecca, my parents were ahead of the curve in seeking bereavement support for me; however, I was the only teen in the group facing a sibling bereavement and the only teen in my environment dealing with a preventable sibling death. I recall that ethical approval was declined to conduct my undergraduate Psychology qualitative dissertation (in 2007) with consenting long-term bereaved adults, whilst my peers received approval for other sensitive research proposals.

Ultimately, my experiences led to me becoming the youngest bereavement support worker in my county in the early 2000s. I have always been willing to partake in bereavement studies, yet the opportunity has never been presented to me academically or personally. There's a dearth of research into most aspects of bereavement experience, due to perceived sensitivity, yet death and bereavement responses are the most normal and expected occurrence in life and not a 'dirty' topic to be ignored or stigmatised.

My bereavement work, on the floor, suggests that there are multiple research aspects remaining to be explored, including increased parental expectations or enhanced protection for the remaining sibling, lack of support from peers and impact on family members born after the bereavement. In the meantime, I will continue to advocate for promoting professional 'curiosity', as suggested by this article, with the bereaved of all ages.

Helen Catchpole