Death of a Parent Transition to a New Adult Identity [Paperback]

Reveals the remarkable change in our sense of self following the loss of a parent.When a parent dies, most adults are seized by an unexpected crisis that can trigger a profound transformation. This book relies on national data as well as in-depth interviews to explore the social and psychological risk factors that make some people more vulnerable than others following this important loss. Dr. Umberson also looks at protective factors that help some individuals experience better mental health following the death than they did when the parent was alive. Readers will come to view the loss of a parent in a new way: as a turning point in adult development.When a parent dies, most adults are seized by an unexpected crisis that can trigger a profound transformation. This book relies on national data as well as in-depth interviews to explore the social and psychological risk factors that make some people more vulnerable than others following this important loss. Dr. Umberson also looks at protective factors that help some individuals experience better mental health following the death than they did when the parent was alive. Readers will come to view the loss of a parent in a new way: as a turning point in adult development.In the midst of the busiest years of our lives and careers, just as many of us are beginning to confront our own aging, we are likely to lose a parent--and as commonplace, even expected, as any such event may be, the reperscussions can be dramatic. This book sets out in clear and comprehensive terms what the death of a parent means to most adults--how it in fact functions as a turning point in our emotional, social, and personal lives. Drawing on her own groundbreaking research, in-depth interviews, and data collected nationwide, Debra Umberson explores the social and psychological factors that determine how this important loss will affect us--as a personal crisis or an opportunity for healthy change. Her book shows how adults, far from the finlÃ%