Children Facing Death: Recurring Patterns of Adaptation (Revised)

This article examines a number of studies on adjustment problems faced by dying children. Particular attention is given to the relationship between growth and development and the child’s awareness of their impending death. Two principal topics connecting research with clinical practice will be examined in this article: the research on awareness contexts translates into the clinical issue of whether or not to tell children of their impending death. Likewise, the question of how immature children who are dying cope with their impending death and their understanding of the effect it will have on others