Prince Harry has been admirable in disclosing his feelings about the loss of his mother at the age of 12, and how that grief affected him 20 years down the line. The loss of a parent on the cusp of, or during, adolescence can be devastating and can indeed have long-term affects.
When I was researching the question of heroin addiction among young people, I came across evidence that one of the triggers that can start a heroin addiction habit is the loss of a parent in these years – either through death or divorce. Very young children adapt better to a loss than adolescents, for reasons that are readily understood: a new routine can help a young child, whereas an adolescent, already going through a transformative period in life, can find loss of a strong attachment profoundly wounding.
