A journey through unexpected sibling bereavement: an adolescent's grief and struggle to find meaning in adulthood

Although extensive research relating to adolescent bereavement exists, studies relating specifically to adolescent sibling bereavement are limited in scope and rarely provide a longitudinal perspective. This study implements autoethnography to reveal a retrospective of the author's personal experience with grief after the unexpected death of her only sister during adolescence. The case study provides a longitudinal perspective of adolescent sibling bereavement as the author examines her grief from the moment that she found out her sister was killed, through to the present day, 22 years later. The author reveals many short-term and long-term effects of grief while examining her own experiences from both adolescent and adult perspectives. Also provided is an introduction to other literature on the topic. The study will present families, teachers, counselors, and other community members, with a more in-depth look at adolescent sibling bereavement, its long-term impacts, and suggestions for supporting an adolescent experiencing grief after the death of a sibling.--P.ii.