Description

Disenfranchised grief occurs when a loss cannot be socially acknowledged, mourned, or supported. It often occurs in marginalized populations. It happens when there is no recognition of the loss, the griever, or the relationship between the loss and the mourner. Disenfranchised grief is often minimized or not understood by others, which makes it difficult to process and work through. Historically, members of the LGBTQ community have been disproportionately affected by disenfranchised grief.

1. Provide an example of disenfranchised
2. What social pressures, biases, structures, or norms contribute to disenfranchised grief?
3. What advance directives exist to give a voice to less traditional relationships?
4. In what ways can the IDT help support patients and family members at risk for disenfranchised grief?