ABSTRACT
Significant life events, even those that are celebrated or anticipated, often contain elements of both gains as well as losses and require a relinquishing of “life as it was.” Although grief has been suggested as a response to an array of loss experiences, the primary focus of grief research remains in the context of bereavement. Non-death losses may lead to disenfranchised grief due to lack of societal recognition or acknowledgment, leaving grievers with scant social support and clinicians with limited information. This chapter explores the challenges of researching non-death losses and how scholars have examined grief related to non-death losses, including nonfinite loss, chronic sorrow, and ambiguous loss. The chapter concludes with recommendations for measuring and exploring grief related to non-death loss events.
