Abstract:
Tahan Na: A Study on the Effects of Bereavement on Filipino Youth aged 13-24 and
their Coping Mechanisms was an attempt to seek the effects of death in the nuclear family to
Filipino youth aged 15-21 years, and how they cope with it. It followed a sequential mixed
method, where data were obtained through numerous key informant interviews and quantitative
survey forms. A total of 7 key informants were selected to participate, while 30 answered the
survey.
The study found out that among the social support system of bereaved children, their
siblings- brothers and sisters- provide the most support. And among the different aspects of a
child‘s life, namely social, physical, and emotional, emotional instability, especially
preoccupations with thoughts of the deceased and feelings of confusion and lack of concentration,
ranked the highest when it came to how bereavement affects the youth.
Always remembering, and keeping things alive and maintaining the memory of the
deceased is what the majority of the respondents answered when asked how they cope with
bereavement. Instead of running away from the fact that their loved one has died, it is revealed
that most chose to face and accept it. This mechanism was said to have contributed significantly
in the course of managing and surviving the whole bereavement process, and continuing with the
normal outlooks of life.
