The present work investigates how the communication of the death of a relative to a child occurs. The objectives were to verify the adequacy of such communication according to the cognitive development level of the child and to assess whether the family collaborates in the grieving process through the information shared. The participants in this study were those responsible for the children who had suffered the loss of a close relative between the ages of two and eight years old. The data were collected in open interviews and understood through the identification of recurrent categories in the speech of the people interviewed. The results pointed out the importance of an open and clear communication, adjusted to the child’s level of understanding. They stress the benefits of sharing emotion, showing that the social support of the extensive family in the post-death period is very important. Finally, the communication of the death of a close relative to a child is essential, although difficult, and must be endeavored with the utmost care and sensitivity on the part of the communicator, who should be someone with strong affectivity bonds with the child.
Death; Child; Grief; Communication; Death attitudes
