Question

You work in pediatrics. a parent tells you her aging mother is in palliative care and asks for advice on discussing death with her children. you base your answer on knowledge that the age when most children have an adult concept of death as being inevitable, universal, and irreversible is (which of the following)?

a. 12 to 14 years of age
b. 6 to 8 years of age
c. 4 to 5 years of age
d. 9 to 11 years of age

Answer 1

Children typically develop an adult concept of death around 9 to 11 years of age, understanding death as final and applicable to all living things. Discussions about death with children should be age-appropriate and acknowledge the various emotions they may experience, as detailed in Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief. The correct option is d.

Step-by-step explanation:

Discussing death with children is a sensitive topic, and it requires an understanding of the developmental stages of their concept of death.

Research indicates that most children develop an adult concept of death—recognizing it as inevitable, universal, and irreversible—around 9 to 11 years of age. At this stage, they begin to understand that death is final and happens to all living things.

When addressing the topic with children, it's critical to be honest, yet gentle, and to provide support that aligns with their developmental level.

One may also refer to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—since these can help adults gauge and validate the range of emotions children may experience when confronted with the death of a loved one. Option d. is the correct one.