The ripples of death: exploring the bereavement experiences and mental health of young men in custody

The study explored the prevalence and nature of bereavement among 33 young men who had been sentenced to a Young Offender's Institution. A bereavement had been experienced by 91% of the sample, and the rates of traumatic and multiple deaths were high. Young men who had experienced more ‘difficult’ bereavements scored higher on the mental health screen than those who had not, although differences did not reach statistical significance. Semi-structured interviews were also undertaken with a sub-sample in order to describe young men’s bereavement experiences from their own perspective, and these findings were aligned to a theory of grief processing. The implications for practice and future research are discussed.