Bereavement refers to the painful loss of a loved one through death; the state or condition caused by loss through death, and the long-term process of adjustment to the death of a loved one that is more all encompassing than grief and is commonly accompanied by physical symptoms, role loss, and a variety of intense emotions, including anger, sorrow, anxiety, and depression.

Bereavement is also defined as the objective situation of individuals who have experienced a loss of some person or thing that they valued that involves three (3) key elements : a relationship or attachment with some person or thing that is valued, the loss of that relationship, and an individual who is deprived of the valued person or thing by the loss.