Childhood Bereavement in the U.S.
An estimated 1 out of 15 children in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent or sibling before they reach the age of 18. Over 4.8 million youth are bereaved, and the number more than doubles by age 25, to 12.7 million. Childhood bereavement is a prevalent and critical public health issue that can have a profound impact on future wellbeing.
In their own voices ....
A few facts about Children in Grief:
- Many people don’t realize that it takes most children much longer to deal with their grief than we expect, and that the amount of inner turmoil, invisible to most, is much more intense than we have any idea of.
- We raise awareness so that people will realize that even if there is no outward sign of inner turmoil, those storms can still be raging inside a grieving child’s heart.
- We raise awareness so that people will understand that a grieving child can’t just “get over it”—not in any set time period— not by any act of their own will—and that there’s no reason that they should just “get over it.”
Childhood Grief Statistics
National
Ohio