On the Matter of Black Lives: an Adult Lifespan Investigation of Black Bereavement

While there is literature exploring bereavement amongst Black individuals, most of this literature addresses Black grief either in a comparative manner to other racial/ethnic groups (i.e., non-Hispanic White) or within one age sample. Additionally, when looking at bereavement through a developmental lens, much of Life Course Theory has been created and normed using majority group samples, disenfranchising the typical experiences of people of color regarding events such as bereavement. This is highly insensitive to racial/ethnic groups such as Black adults, such that stressors and cultural strengths unique to Black populations (e.g., effects of racism, communalism, stoicism) are likely not accounted for in these developmental theories. To address both matters, the present study investigated: 1) bereavement experiences of Black adults across the lifespan, and 2) how the bereavement experiences of Black adults compare to existing Life Course Theory in its extension to bereavement. Two hundred Black adults aged 18 and older, recruited and administered the study completely online, responded to questionnaires assessing adverse childhood experiences, anger, grief, depression, sleep, affect, positive perception, religiousness, spirituality, somatization, gratitude, and life satisfaction. Analyses of variance, regression analyses, and chi squared testing yielded mixed results in the exploration of predicted associations within the realm of Black bereavement. Additionally, some tenets of Life Course Theory were supported (i.e., linked lives, timing), whereas others were deemed in need of alteration to be more culturally appropriate. Implications from this study showcase ways an existing developmental theory (i.e., Elder's Theory) can be shaped to be more generalizable to Black adult bereavement experiences. Further implications and future directions highlight the need to explore culturally based factors (i.e., racial violence, religiosity) more fully within developmental theory, future research, and clinical practice. Furthermore, theoretical underpinnings underlying the overall bodies of bereavement research and treatment need modification to meet the culturally specific treatment needs of Black bereaved populations.