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The predictive validity of the Reactions to Loss Scale (RTL) was assessed in two studies (N = 185 and 170) of college students who reported a recent loss and their feelings about and preoccupation with the loss. Across a 9-week interval, participants reported an increase in positive feelings about the loss event and a decrease in negative feelings, regret, and preoccupation with the loss. The Positive Reappraisal Scale of the RTL predicted increased positive feelings and a reduction of regret. Avoidance scale of the RTL predicted higher levels of regret and the Loss of Control scale predicted higher levels of negative affect (Study 2). This longitudinal data supports the validity of the Reactions to Loss scale and supports the value of assessing positive, resilient responses to a loss.

This qualitative study examined the experience of grandparent death among 74 emerging adults enrolled in college. Guided by the life course perspective, the authors specifically explored (a) participant responses to the death, (b) how family systems were influenced by the loss of the grandparent, and (c) how grandparent death motivated life course transitions for emerging adults. The findings suggest that the death trajectory, level of attachment, the role the grandchild played in the family, as well as the coping style utilized affected participants' grief processes. This study underscores the importance of the grandchild–grandparent tie, how new death experiences create meaning and ritual, and how life course transitions are motivated when an older family member dies. Implications for providing support on college campuses when emerging adults experience grandparent death are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]