Across six nations: Stressful events in the lives of children

Yamamoto, Kaoru; Davis, O. L.; Dylak, Stanisław; Whittaker, Jean; Marsh, Colin J.; Westhuizen, Philip C. van der

doi:10.1007/bf02353355

Cited by 54 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…1,2 Retrospective, record linkage, and prospective studies have found enduring psychiatric sequelae in children bereaved after a parent's death. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] However, little is known about the range, course, or predictors of psychiatric outcomes in bereaved offspring.…”

Section: He Death Of a Parentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antecedents and Sequelae of Sudden Parental Death in Offspring and Surviving Caregivers

Melhem¹,

Walker²,

Moritz³

et al. 2008

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

168

180

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Section: He Death Of a Parentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antecedents and Sequelae of Sudden Parental Death in Offspring and Surviving Caregivers

Melhem¹,

Walker²,

Moritz³

et al. 2008

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

168

180

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“…The death of a parent is consistently rated as one of the most stressful life events that a child can experience 1,2 . In Western countries, 4% of children experience the death of a parent and approximately 1 in 20 children in the United States experience the loss of a parent before they reach 18 years of age 3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grief in Children and Adolescents Bereaved by Sudden Parental Death

Melhem

Porta

Shamseddeen

et al. 2011

Arch Gen Psychiatry

188

177

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Context There have been major advances in our understanding of the phenomenology and course of grief in adults. However, little is known about the course of grief in children. Objective We report on course and impact of children’s grief reactions following parental sudden death on subsequent psychiatric and functional status. Design Longitudinal study of bereaved children and families with yearly comprehensive assessments up to three years after parental death. Setting Bereaved children and their surviving parents recruited through the coroners’ records and advertisement. Participants 182 parentally bereaved children between 7 and 18 years of age whose parent died from suicide, accident, or sudden natural deaths. Main Exposure Sudden parental death. Main Outcome Measures Grief, functional impairment, incident depression. Results There were 3 distinct trajectories of grief reactions with a group, consisting of 10.4% of the sample, with increased grief reactions that showed no change 33 months post-death. Youths with prolonged grief reactions had higher rates of previous personal history of depression. Prolonged grief made unique contribution to increased levels of functional impairment even after controlling for clinical characteristics antecedent and following the death. Conversely, prolonged grief, both in youths and the surviving caregiver, predisposed to an increased hazard of incident depression. Another group (30%) showed increased grief reactions 9 months following the death, which gradually decreased over time. Despite this, grief reactions in this group were also associated with functional impairment and increased risk of incident depression. Conclusions Grief reactions abate over time for most children bereaved by sudden parental death; however, a subset show increased or prolonged grief reactions, which in turn increases the risk for functional impairment and depression. Research on interventions designed to relieve the burden of grief in bereaved children are needed. Such efforts should also assess and address grief reactions in the surviving parent.

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“…Approximately 4% of US children (2.5 million) will experience the death of one of their parents by the age of 18 years, 1 an experience consistently rated as one of the most stressful life events for children 2,3 and one associated with a number of adverse psychosocial sequelae. Retrospective, record-linkage, and prospective studies all show a significant relationship between parental death and internalizing and externalizing symptoms, impaired school performance, and sexual-risk behavior in children.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Prospective Study of Parentally Bereaved Youth, Caregiver Depression, and Body Mass Index

Weinberg

Dietz²,

Stoyak³

et al. 2013

J. Clin. Psychiatry

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Objective To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) in bereaved youth and nonbereaved controls 5 years after a parent’s death. The study was conducted from August 9, 2002, through December 31, 2013. Design A prospective, longitudinal, controlled study of the effects of sudden parental death on youth. Setting Bereaved families were recruited through coroner records and by advertisement. Nonbereaved families were recruited using random-digit dialing and by advertisement. Participants 123 parentally bereaved offspring were compared with 122 nonbereaved control offspring, all of whom were aged 11–25 years at the 5-year assessment. Main Exposure Bereavement status, type of parental death (accident, suicide, or sudden natural death), and history of depression in caregivers prior to parental death. Outcome Measures BMI categories (normal, overweight, and obese), according to International Obesity Task Force guidelines for adults and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for children, and DSM-IV psychiatric disorder in offspring and caregivers before and after time of parental death. Results Bereaved offspring were more likely to have a BMI in the obese range compared to nonbereaved controls (χ22 = 7.13, P <.01). There were no differences in BMI category by death type among bereaved offspring. Caregiver history of depression was a significant correlate of offspring obesity in nonbereaved youth but had a protective effect on the BMI of bereaved youth. Conclusions Bereaved youth were more likely to be obese than nonbereaved youth 5 years after parental death, and caregiver history of depression was associated with increased risk for obesity in nonbereaved youth only. Future studies are necessary to identify mechanisms that increase risk for obesity in parentally bereaved youth.

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Across six nations: Stressful events in the lives of children

Cited by 54 publications

References 10 publications

Antecedents and Sequelae of Sudden Parental Death in Offspring and Surviving Caregivers

Antecedents and Sequelae of Sudden Parental Death in Offspring and Surviving Caregivers

Grief in Children and Adolescents Bereaved by Sudden Parental Death

A Prospective Study of Parentally Bereaved Youth, Caregiver Depression, and Body Mass Index

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