"People keep telling me life goes on, but for me that's the hardest part."
Unknown
Sibling Narratives
Adult Sibling Loss: Sibling Narratives
It can be difficult to articulate the significance of sibling loss. It is a life-altering event that results in varied emotions that can take years or decades to manage. The following are bereaved sibling accounts of loss and its lingering effects.
Tamara describes the personal impact of her brother's murder and the importance of acknowledging sibling loss.
Laura recalls her feelings of guilt during her sister's battle with sickle cell anemia and conflicting feelings after her death.
Adult Sibling Loss: Narrative Take Aways
The concept of family transcends parents and children. Therefore, the uniqueness of the family structure is integral to identifying supports to help bereaved siblings.
Sibling loss impacts each member of the family. So, informal networks need to ensure that every person in the family unit is supported during their bereavement.
Most families in the United States are comprised of multiple siblings. As a result, this is the only familial loss that will be repeatedly experienced across the lifespan.
Burke, L. & Neimeyer, R. (2008). African Americans in bereavement: Grief as a function of ethnicity. Journal of Death and Dying, 57(2), 173-193
Rando, T. (1989). How to go on living when someone you love dies. Bantam.