Psychological health of young adults who experienced early parent death: MMPI trends

Abstract

Psychological effects that result from childhood parent loss by death are of substantial clinical and research importance. Parent loss has been linked with various psychopathology, though little is known of its effects on subsequent psychological health (a) as a function of the child's sex; (b) in normal individuals; (c) where early parent separation also has occurred. This study provides data on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory‐168 (MMPI‐168) that address these issues. Ss were normals (16 males and 16 females per group) divided into three groups: Early bereaved (up to age 7), late bereaved (ages 12 to 18), and nonbereaved. In 50% of the bereaved individuals, two or more MMPI‐168 clinical scales were pathologically abnormal compared with 28% of controls. Significant parent loss by child's sex interaction effects were obtained on Psychopathic Deviate, Masculinity‐Femininity, Psychasthenia, and Schizophrenia scales. A significant effect was found for early parent separation on the Schizophrenia scale.

Death threat, parental loss, and interpersonal style: A personal construct investigation

“…Therefore, it might be expected that the death of a parent would adversely affect the development of ROLE relationships. Several studies (e.g., Dietrich, 1984;Hepworth, Ryder, & Dreyer, 1984;Jacobson & Ryder, 1968;Murphy, 1986-87;Silverman, 1987), not based on a personal construct perspective, have studied the effects of death on interpersonal relationships for people who have lost a parent to death while they were adolescents. While some studies (e.g., Silverman, 1987) report that subjects see no connection between the death of their parent and their intimate relationships, other studies have shown such an effect.…”

The Mental Health of Young Workers: A Pilot Study

“…There is some consensus that loss of a parent in childhood is associated with a higher incidence of emotional and personality problems (Dietrich, 1984) and with higher rates of psychiatric consultations (Seligman, Gleser, Raun, & Harris, 1974).…”

Parent-child relationship quality and individual well-being in adulthood: the differential effects of childhood family structure

“…The literature on bereavement has also identified several long-term negative consequences of early parental death for adult outcomes. Schizophrenia (Wahl, 1956), suicide (Crook & Raskin, 1975), alcoholism (Birtchnell, 1972), social introversion (Dietrich, 1984), and loss of seli-esteem (Dizmang, 1969) have all been reported by adults who experienced a parental death during childhood. Denes-Raj and Ehrlichman (1991) foimd that college students who had lost at least one parent during childhood predicted a shorter life span for themselves than students with both parents still Uvmg.…”

“…This is fiuther complicated by the fact that there have been few attenq)ts to examine the long-term effects of early parent death among adults who do not exhibit overt psychiatric symptoms (Finkelstein, 1988). Dietrich (1984) has noted that "the amount of research that deals with nonpsychiatric, nonpatient populations is quite Umited and needs to be expanded" (p. 901).…”

“…A second set of hypotheses were developed m regard to experiencmg parental death during childhood. Based on a limited amount of empirical research that suggests death has negative effects on survivors (Birtchnell, 1970;Dietrich, 1984;Dizmang, 1969;Lloyd, 1980), it is hypothesized that adults who were raised by widowed parents will have lower parent-child relationship quality (Arrow B), lower levels of self-confidence (Arrow A), and higher levels of psychological distress (Arrow A) than adults who were raised in intact families. The effect of childhood family structure on self-confidence and psychological distress in adulthood is also expected to be mediated by parent-child relationship quality (Arrows B and C) when comparing adults raised by widowed parents to those raised in intact families.…”