ABSTRACT
When a person passes away, it affects everyone who knew him or her. From the closest family members, to the random classmate who they passed daily in the hallway, the effect of a friend’s death can be felt in a myriad of ways throughout the social network that an individual belonged to. This can be particularly true for young people: when death is unexpected the effect it has on the people who know that person is more far reaching (Balk 2011; DeGroot 2012). The unexpected loss of someone that a person is used to communicating with on a regular basis can be extremely difficult to adjust to and even those who were used to just sitting next to that person in class or seeing them on a semi-regular basis through work or other friends can be affected by the passing of a member of their extended social network (Balk 1996; Church 2013).
