The impact of losing a child on the clinical presentation of complicated grief

Abstract

Background It is unclear whether bereaved parents with Complicated Grief (CG) struggle with their grief differently than others with CG. This study addressed this question by comparing CG severity, CG-related symptoms, thoughts and behaviors, and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses of bereaved parents with CG to the diagnoses and symptoms of others with CG. Methods Baseline data from 345 participants enrolled in the Healing Emotions After Loss (HEAL) study, a multi-site CG treatment study, were used to compare parents with CG (n = 75) to others with CG (n = 275). Data from the parent group was then used to compare parents with CG who had lost a younger child (n = 24) to parents with CG who had lost an older child (n = 34). Demographic and loss-related data were also gathered and used to control for confounders between groups. Results Parents with CG demonstrated slightly higher levels of CG (p = .025), caregiver self-blame (p = .007), and suicidality (p = .025) than non-parents with CG. Parents who had lost younger children were more likely to have had a wish to be dead since the loss than parents who had lost older children (p = .041). Limitations All data were gathered from a treatment research study, limiting the of these results. No corrections were made for multiple comparisons. The comparison of parents who lost younger children to parents who lost older children was limited by a small sample size. Conclusions Even in the context of CG, the relationship to the deceased may have a bearing on the degree and severity of grief symptoms and associated features. Bereaved parents with CG reported more intense CG, self-blame, and suicidality than other bereaved groups with CG, though this finding requires confirmation. The heightened levels of suicidal ideation experienced by parents with CG, especially after losing a younger child, suggest the value of routinely screening for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in this group.

Measuring Maladaptive Cognitions in Complicated Grief: Introducing the Typical Beliefs Questionnaire

“…Previous studies reported that those who lost a child showed a different pattern of endorsement on the TBQ compared to other losses. For example, people with CG after child loss were three times more likely to endorse item 2: “I should have done something to prevent/ease death” (40). Those who lost a loved one to suicide endorsed different items than those whose loved one died in another violent manner and from those whose death was non-violent.…”

What aspects of post-traumatic growth are experienced by bereaved parents? A systematic review

“…The death of a child can lead to parents experiencing long-term negative psychological responses, such as increased depressive symptoms (Rogers, Floyd, Seltzer, & Hong, 2008), anxiety (Buchi et al, 2007), and complicated grief (Zetumer et al, 2015). Bereaved parents have also been found to experience relationship difficulties (Rogers et al, 2008) and poorer physical health (Li, Hansen, Bo Mortensen, & Olsen, 2002).…”

Factors associated with the grief after stillbirth: a comparative study between Brazilian and Canadian women

“…Complicated grief is defined as intense, prolonged, distressing, disabling suffering, which becomes a serious health problem that affects the patient, the family, and even society (11) due to a maladjustment in the rupture of a significant relationship throughout life (9) . The manifestations of the development of complicated grief are more common in the female population and after the loss of a child (12) ; the younger the age of the children (13) and stillbirth (14) the more intense the grief. In relation to stillbirth, women experience a different grief (15) , a different form of sorrow, resulting from months of planning and expectations that end in a birth with no vital signs (4) , a situation that demands time and support to overcome the loss (6) .…”