The term “bereavement overload” was coined by psychologist and gerontologist Robert Kastenbaum over 30 years ago to refer to circumstances in which a grieving individual confronts multiple losses simultaneously or in rapid succession, such that one loss cannot be accommodated before another occurs. Although bereavement overload can be triggered by a great range of circumstances (e.g., deaths of multiple friends or family members in a vehicular accident, war, fire, natural disaster, or even from unrelated causes over a short span of time), much of what is known about its impact has resulted from the study of the AIDS pandemic and the mounting losses of later life. [Source: Encyclopedia of Human Development; Bereavement Overload]
bereavement overload
concepts
bereavement