Disenfranchised grief and evaluations of social support by college students

Disenfranchised grief occurs in socially unrecognized or socially unsanctioned relationships. To assess the reactions of college students to someone grieving a disenfranchised loss,96 undergraduate students read one of six scenarios describing a grieving person. Three scenarios involved disenfranchised losses, and three were recognized losses. Subjects evaluated the griever's interpersonal and social role functioning and available social support. The subjects also assessed the severity of the grief, suitability of help sources, and the likelihood of personal behavior toward the griever. Results indicated lower perceived social support and greater personal distance in two of the disenfranchised grief situations. Other measures showed no consistent differences. The results support the contention that with disenfranchised losses there is reduced social support for the griever.