| Experiencing the death of a loved one is an unavoidable and universal event that affects people across all cultures, ages, socioeconomic statuses, and genders. Researchers have begun to study the positive changes that result from a traumatic event such as bereavement. Young adulthood is a time period between adolescence and adulthood, between the ages of 18-25, which is often overlooked in existential literature and a transitional time during which prior grief feelings can resurface. This study examined whether young adults who have experienced the death of someone close to them are more likely to be thinking about existential issues and whether these existential issues are positively correlated to posttraumatic growth. Data was collected through internet survey questionnaires. The sample (n = 91) was divided among a bereaved group and nonbereaved group based on whether they had experienced the death of someone close to them. An independent sample t-test suggested that the bereaved group had significantly higher existential thinking scores than the nonbereaved group. In the bereaved group, a regression analysis indicated that existential thinking was a significant predictor of posttraumatic growth. The hypotheses were supported that young adults are thinking about existential issues when they have been faced with the death of someone close to them and that thinking about these issues is likely to lead to posttraumatic growth. Findings indicate that young adults are processing complex, existential issues when faced with death and working through these topics in treatment with bereaved individuals can contribute to the success of their treatment. |
