Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Kathryn Howell

Committee Chair

Joah Williams

Committee Member

Amanda Hasselle

Committee Member

Meghan McDevitt-Murphy

Abstract

Bereavement, the objective occurrence of losing someone significant through death, is a universal experience that can impart psychosocial and developmental consequences, but there is also evidence of resilience. The literature has conceptualized resilience in myriad ways, which has led to difficulty in defining this construct and concretely understanding what promotes it in bereaved youth. This dissertation, which is guided by the Multidimensional Taxonomy of Individual Resilience (MTIR; Miller-Graff, 2022), addressed these research gaps. In study 1, a scoping review identified 69 articles and synthesized their findings regarding resilience among bereaved youth. Results showed a general trend towards more strengths-based definitions of resilience in this population. Strengths-focused variables identified in these studies mapped onto the manifested and generative resilience subdomains outlined in the MTIR. Study 2 expanded on the literature identified in study 1 by examining potential intergenerational resilience processes. Specifically, caregivers own manifested and generative resilience were examined in relation to youth’s own manifested and generative resilience in a sample of 105 bereaved youth (Mage = 12.40, SD = 2.58; 51.43% female; 49.52% White) and their caregivers. Results from study 2 revealed no significant intergenerational relations between study variables. To our knowledge, this dissertation represents the first application of the MTIR in investigation of resilience among bereaved youth. Taken together, these studies examine the utility in organizing and structuring the study of resilience among youth who have experienced the death of a loved one.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Open Access

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