Parental grief reactions and marital intimacy following infant death

Lang, Ariella; Gottlieb, Laurie N.

doi:10.1080/07481189308252620

Cited by 73 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Most of the literature has focused on negative effects on social relationships suggesting declines in marital relationships and parenting after a child's death. 26,28,29,[31][32][33][34][35] Thus, it is important to also consider the assessment of positive family outcomes in future research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…28,30 Bereaved parents have reported less marital satisfaction, less sexual intimacy, more frequent thoughts of separation, and higher divorce rates than non-bereaved parents. [31][32][33][34] Parents also may be consumed by grief and "overlook" surviving children, 35 or they may become closer and overprotective. 28 Bereaved parents have reported more parenting stress than controls, 28 and bereaved siblings have reported less communication, availability, and support from parents after the death.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

Gilmer

Foster

Gerhardt

2012

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context-Few studies have compared multiple perspectives of changes experienced by parents after a child's death.Objectives-This study used interviews with bereaved parents and siblings to examine changes in parents during the first year after the death of a child from cancer.Methods-Mothers (n = 36), fathers (n = 24), and siblings (n = 39) from 40 families were recruited from three hospitals in the U.S. and Canada 3-12 months post-death (M = 10.7, SD = 3.5). Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted in the home with each participating parent and sibling separately. Content analysis identified emerging themes, and frequencies were compared between each paired set of reports (mother versus sibling, father versus sibling, mother versus father).Results-Parents and siblings identified two major categories of change experienced by bereaved parents. These changes occurred in their personal lives (e.g., emotions, perspectives and priorities, physical state, work habits, coping/behaviors, spiritual beliefs, and feeling something is missing) and relationships (e.g., family, others). Ninety-four percent of mothers, 87% of fathers, and 69% of siblings reported parental changes in at least one of these categories. Parents were more likely to report changes in priorities, whereas siblings reported more sadness in parents after the death.Conclusion-Positive and negative changes in parents after the death of a child from cancer occur in both personal and relational domains. Additional research is needed to determine the impact of a child's death on bereaved parents over time and to develop strategies to promote healthy adjustment.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

Gilmer

Foster

Gerhardt

2012

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among other differences, these mothers suffered significant grief for longer periods than bereaved singleton mothers (Lang & Gottlieb, 1993;Potvin et al, 1989;Zeanah et al, 1995) and expressed more anxiety and depression. Similarly, earlier studies found that mothers and fathers of multiples did not experience significantly less grief compared with parents who had experienced the death of a singleton (Netzer & Arad, 1999;Wilson et al, 1982;Wilson et al, 1985).…”

Section: Grief and Consequences Of Bereavement For Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Couples Cope With the Death of a Twin or Higher Order Multiple

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fifty-two Australian couples who had experienced the death of at least one member of a multiple birth (twin or higher order), with at least one survivor of that birth, were interviewed about their experiences at the time of the death, and since. This study compared parents' coping after the twins' deaths using the Beck Depression Inventory II, Perinatal Grief Scale, and unstructured interviews with some structured queries. Parents provided information on the influence of family, community and medical staff. According to retrospective reports, mothers experienced significantly more depression and grief than fathers at the time of loss. Both parents found the death of their twins grievous, but fathers, unlike mothers, were not encouraged to express their emotions. Although parents generally agreed about what helped them cope, fathers believed that they should be able to cope regardless of their grief. The strength of parents' spiritual beliefs had increased significantly since their loss, and there was some evidence that depressed and grieving mothers turned to spiritual support. Parents whose children died earlier reported levels of depression similar to those reported by parents whose children died later. To date, this is the largest study of grief in couples who have experienced the death of a twin and who have a surviving twin or higher order multiple.

show abstract

“…However, in a tragedy that touches the entire family, the ability of family members to support one another (Dent & Stewart, 2004;Schwab, 1992), the need for support from the outside, and the significance of outside support to the parents' coping is emphasized. The death of the child is likely to affect the parents' marital relationship (Hughes & PageLieberman, 1989;Lang & Gottlieb, 1993;Samuelsson et al, 2001;Schwab, 1992Schwab, , 1998). Wood and Milo (2001) compared mothers' and fathers' stories and reported that professional support was more important for the fathers.…”

Section: Fathers' Experience Of Social Support After the Death Of A Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fathers' Experience of Social Support After the Death of a Child

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aims of this study were to describe fathers' social networks and their experience of social support after the death of a child. The sample consisted of 8 fathers who had lost a child under the age of 3. The data were collected with open-ended questions and interviews. Data analysis used qualitative content analysis. The fathers' social support networks varied over time and between fathers. The support networks included either just the spouse or the spouse and other people. Social relationships broke down and new relationships formed in their place. The fathers experienced social isolation but also deliberately isolated themselves from human relationships. The support the fathers received was felt to be both positive and negative. Peer support was only positive. Support from professionals was reported to be important but was also criticized. In particular better family care, informal support, and systematic support after leaving the hospital were expected.

show abstract

Parental grief reactions and marital intimacy following infant death

Cited by 73 publications

References 48 publications

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

How Couples Cope With the Death of a Twin or Higher Order Multiple

Fathers' Experience of Social Support After the Death of a Child

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About