“Our Only Child Has Died”—A Study of Bereaved Older Chinese Parents

Zheng, Yongqiang; Lawson, Thomas R.; Head, Barbara

doi:10.1177/0030222815612285

Cited by 67 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In summary, Shidu is a unique social issue in Chinese society after the decades-long one-child policy [ 20 ]. Therefore, Chinese government has been aware of the importance of providing support for Shidu parents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of physical and mental health consequences among Chinese parents who lost their only child

et al. 2018

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BackgroundThe term “loss-of-only-child family” means that the only child in a family passed away or is disabled due to an accident or other events. The parents who cannot conceive or do not adopt another child, are known as Shidu parents in China. This study compares the physical and mental health of Shidu parents with those parents who have not experienced such loss.MethodsThe target group is comprised of parents being Shidu for more than 1 year (N = 95) and the control group is comprised of parents with a living child (N = 97) from the same area as the Shidu parents. Socio-demographic information and physical health outcomes were collected by the adapted questionnaires. PCL-C (PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version), CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire) were applied to evaluate the parents’ physical and mental status.ResultsShidu parents have a higher risk of developing PTSD and depression, and suffer more severe psychiatric disorders compared to parents with a living child. The rate of PTSD in the Shidu group was up to 32.6% and the scores of PCL-C are much higher than the control group. The physical status of Shidu parents were much worse than that of the control group, characterized by higher morbidity of chronic diseases and more hospital visits.ConclusionsShidu parents have more severe mental health problems and a higher rate of chronic diseases than parents who have a living child. Loss of the only child is the most traumatic event for the parents, which is a serious and unique problem in Chinese society that deserves attention. More studies and support are desired to improve the physical and mental health of Shidu parents.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of physical and mental health consequences among Chinese parents who lost their only child

et al. 2018

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“…If parents lose their only child in adulthood this may further impact the feeling of loss as bearing another child is not possible. Previous research has demonstrated that Chinese parents who lost their only child present with significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD as well as significant impairments in physical and social areas compared to non-bereaved counterparts (Cao, Yang, & Wang, 2018; Yin et al, 2018; Zheng, Lawson, & Anderson Head, 2017). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latent profiles of physical and psychological outcomes of bereaved parents in China who lost their only child

Zhou

Huang

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: Along with the implementation of the one-child policy in China, a special group of bereaved parents called ‘shiduer’ (失独者), meaning parents bereaved by the loss of their only child, emerged. Although previous research has examined the physical and psychological health of this population, individual differences in physical and psychological outcomes are still not well understood.Objective: This study aimed to identify heterogenous subgroups of Chinese bereaved parents who lost their only child based on the physical and psychological health of this population as well as the predictive factors of each subgroup.Method: Latent profile analysis was used to explore underlying patterns of physical and psychological indicators including subjective physical health, negative psychological outcomes (i.e. depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and prolonged grief disorder) and positive psychological outcomes (i.e. post-traumatic growth) among a sample of Chinese bereaved parents who lost their only child (N = 536). A three-step approach was used to examine the effects of covariates including quality of spousal relationship and recruitment channels on psychological and physical outcomes.Results: A three-profile model identified severity-based groupings of a ‘resilient’ subgroup (n = 153), a ‘coping’ subgroup (n = 338) and a ‘dysfunctional’ subgroup (n = 45). Less satisfaction with spousal relationship and recruitment from institutions in the community and online self-help groups (vs. offline support groups) are associated with the membership of the ‘coping’ or ‘dysfunctional’ subgroup compared to the ‘resilient’ subgroup.Conclusions: There is heterogeneity regarding the physical and psychological health of Chinese parents after losing their only child. The predictive effects of the quality of spousal relationship and the recruitment channels could provide directions for professional intervention.

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“…Additionally, family care was a foundational way of caring in China. And as primary caretakers of the old people, adult children had the accountability to meet the mental health needs of parents [42]. Thus, the death of the only child meant not only the great sorrow and physical or mental damage, but also the termination of expected nancial and social support both culturally and legally from the child for the parents.…”

Section: Mediation Analyses Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mediating effect of social support on the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life among shidu parents in China

Lin¹,

Ma²,

Wang³

2020

Preprint

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Background: “Loss-of-only-child family” refers to the family in which the only child died and the mother has passed her child-bearing age. The parents who are unable to reproduce or do not foster other children are known as “shidu parents” in China. This study aimed to estimate the quality of life (QOL) and the mediating role of social support between perceived stress and QOL in Chinese shidu parents.Methods: 502 shidu parents were recruited in Shenyang city. Shidu parents were asked to complete a questionnaire including the MOS item short from health survey (SF-36), the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) and the Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ). Hierarchical linear regression was performed to assess the associations among perceived stress, social support and QOL. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to explore the mediating role of social support.Results: The mean score of PCS and MCS was 64.83 ± 22.66 and 59.36 ± 21.83, respectively. Perceived stress was found to be negatively associated with both PCS (β=-0.21, p < 0.001) and MCS (β=-0.28, p < 0.001), while social support was positively associated with both PCS (β = 0.32, p < 0.001) and MCS (β = 0.32, p < 0.001). For shidu parents, the proportion of mediation of social support between perceived stress and QOL was 36.85% for PCS and 29.45% for MCS, respectively.Conclusions: Perceived stress was associated with QOL and social support had a partially mediating effect between perceived stress and QOL in Chinese shidu parents. Low PCS and MCS of shidu parents highlight the need of timely developing interventions to reduce stress and reinforce social support to further improve their QOL.

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“Our Only Child Has Died”—A Study of Bereaved Older Chinese Parents

Cited by 67 publications

References 48 publications

An investigation of physical and mental health consequences among Chinese parents who lost their only child

An investigation of physical and mental health consequences among Chinese parents who lost their only child

Latent profiles of physical and psychological outcomes of bereaved parents in China who lost their only child

The mediating effect of social support on the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life among shidu parents in China

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