Abstract
Problem Significance Adolescence is an important time for mental, social, and emotional development; therefore, there is an urgency in the need to support adolescents who experience the death of a parent. If this traumatic experience is not addressed, it may transfer over into adulthood and can impair physical and mental health limiting opportunities for living a fulfilling life (CDC, 2021b; WHO, 2022).
Analysis and Objectives Although there are plenty of research on adolescence mental health, there is a lack of existing resources to help adolescents navigate through the traumatic experience of losing a parent. The Adolescent Parental Loss Program aims to focus specifically on protecting adolescent mental health after the death of a parent. The goal of the program is to reduce maladaptive behaviors related to grief and loss of a parent among adolescents.
Intervention (Solution) Proposal This project utilizes the Socioecological Model (SEM) to create the Adolescent Parental Loss Program consisting of a three-strategy approach to target high school students at risk of experiencing mental health concerns from parental death. The three-strategy program includes health service screening, health education, and health communication.
Recommendations and Conclusions There is a need for support/grief-focused education and programs within communities during adolescents’ time of grief to prevent further increase in health concerns. A school-based intervention is beneficial and effective because adolescents have the most social interactions here, allowing for the development of supportive social relationships to cope with parental death