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• Posted October 17, 2024

Oct. 7 Tragedy Spurs Israeli Researcher to Study Grief Over Sibling Loss

A young Israeli researcher who lost a sibling in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians said the tragedy has spurred her to study the unique aspects of grief at the sudden loss of a brother or sister.

The research by Master of Arts student Masada Buchris, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, hasn't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and will become part of her thesis.

But it's already showing that grief over lost siblings differs from grief felt by the loss of a parent, partner or child.

"This research is deeply personal for me," Buchris said in a university news release. "Losing my sibling on October 7th was a life-altering event, and it became clear that many bereaved siblings face 'unrecognized grief.' This study is the first step towards understanding the profound consequences of such a loss and ensuring that siblings receive the support they need."

Buchris' work focused on 444 people who lost a sibling in the Oct. 7 attacks, which killed over 1,200 people, according to the U.S. Department of State. The bereaved siblings averaged about 32 years of age, and just over two-thirds interviewed were women.

Buchris said she used various standard psychological measurements to gauge each person's "emotional distress, negative thoughts and coping mechanisms."

Her study so far has discovered that grief at the loss of a sibling appears to differ by gender, with women tending to say they experience more "emotional distress" and more often than men turn to others or their religion or spirituality for support.

But no significant differences between genders was seen when it came to how the loss of a sibling affected people's thoughts about "the self, life or future," Buchris noted.

Levels of grief did not seem to change if the deceased sibling was older or younger -- birth order didn't seem to matter.

Looking at the Oct. 7 event specifically, grief seemed to have a more negative impact on thoughts around oneself if the sibling had been part of Israeli security forces versus a civilian, Buchris' research found.

As a grieving person's distress levels rise, that was correlated with more negative thoughts about themselves.

"Coping strategies such as seeking help, maintaining connections with the deceased and compassion were associated with higher levels of distress in some cases, while an optimistic perception and spiritual support were linked to lower distress and negative thoughts," the university new release stated.

According to Buchris, grief over the loss of a sibling is much less studied than grief at the loss of partners or children.

But the new findings challenge "the notion that sibling loss is less impactful than other forms of loss," and "the research also underscores the importance of recognizing the unique needs of this group, who may not receive adequate support due to their status as 'just' siblings."

More information

Find out more about dealing with any form of grief at the American Psychological Association.

SOURCE: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, news release, Oct. 9, 2024