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ABSTRACT
The cultural makeup of the United States continues to change rapidly, and as minority groups continue to grow, these groups' beliefs and customs must be taken into account when examining death, grief, and bereavement. This article discusses the beliefs, customs, and rituals of Latino, African American, Navajo, Jewish, and Hindu groups to raise awareness of the differences health care professionals may encounter among their grieving clients. Discussion of this small sample of minority groups in the United States is not intended to cover all of the degrees of acculturation within each group. Cultural groups are not homogeneous, and individual variation must always be considered in situations of death, grief, and bereavement. However, because the customs, rituals, and beliefs of the groups to which they belong affect individuals' experiences of death, grief, and bereavement, health care professionals need to be open to learning about them to better understand and help.
Although death is a certainty for members of all cultures, what people experience, believe, or feel after death varies significantly. The duration, frequency, and intensity of the grief process varies based on the manner of death and individual, family, and cultural beliefs (Clements & Weisser, 2003; DeSpelder & Strickland, 2001; Vigil 6k Clements, 2003). It has been suggested that fear of death leads many people to look for support in religious rituals and customs, native healers, and the family system (Parry 6k Ryan, 1996).
Grief felt for the loss of a loved one can occur across all ages and cultures (Doka, 1996). However, the role of cultural heritage in individuals' experience of grief and mourning is not well understood and requires ongoing exploration. Individuals' attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding death must be described according to the customs and rituals inherent in their cultures (Clements, Reid, 6k DeRanieri, 2003; DeSpelder 6k Strickland, 2001).
No one is spared death. It is a life event that may result from a natural process, an act of violence or war, or an unexpected traumatic event (Clements & Weisser, in press; DeRanieri, Clements, 6k Henry, 2002; Fillion, Clements, Averill, 6k Vigil, 2002). All cultures have developed methods for adaptive coping, grief, and mourning. Subsequently, a lack of sensitivity to these practices by health care professionals may interfere with the necessary...