Parents' Perception of Their Relationship Following the Loss of a Child.
Bereavement; Child Mortality; Interpersonal Relations; Men; Parents; Perception; Questionnaires; Respect; Satisfaction; Women; Family Conflict; Communication Barriers; Parent Attitudes; Norway
Child Loss; Communication; Marital Closeness; Parental Relationship
It is known that if one partner wants to talk after the loss of a child, while the other does not, the less satisfied they are with the relationship. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of parental relationships following the loss of a child. A questionnaire on various aspects of the relationship was sent to 1,027 members of bereavement support organizations for parents who have lost children in Norway. The studied sample (N=285) consisted of 169 women (59.3%) and 116 men (40.7%), representing 175 couples. Although the participants were generally satisfied with their relationship and felt that it was strengthened, there were challenges of communication and interaction. The loss made the relationship special, and they felt they had learned to know each other on a deeper level. The importance of talking together and communicating thoughts and feelings was emphasized by the parents. Women initiated talk more often and evidenced a greater need to talk. A deterioration of the relationship tended to be related to a lack of understanding, communication, and care. Communication, respect, and understanding were underlined as core factors for perceiving a relationship as positive.
Dyregrov A; Dyregrov K
Omega: Journal Of Death & Dying
2017
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0030222815590728" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1177/0030222815590728</a>
Anxiety and vulnerability in parents following the death of an infant
Parents; Death; Anxiety; infant
1987
Dyregrov A; Matthiesen SB
Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology
1987
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.1987.tb00901.x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1111/j.1467-9450.1987.tb00901.x</a>
Stillbirth, neonatal death and sudden infant death (SIDS): Parental reactions
Death; infant; Sudden Infant Death; infant death; SIDS; Stillbirth
1987
Dyregrov A; Matthiesen SB
Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology
1987
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.1987.tb00745.x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1111/j.1467-9450.1987.tb00745.x</a>
Predictors of psychosocial distress after suicide, SIDS and accidents
Child; Grief; Family; Parents; Questionnaires; Death; Syndrome; bereavement; Interviews; infant; Health; Sudden Infant Death; grief reaction; infant death; mourning; SIDS
This article compares the outcome and predictors of psychosocial distress of parents bereaved by young suicides, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and child accidents. One objective is to explore whether suicide bereavement is more difficult for those left behind than other forms of bereavement. Data have been collected from 140 families, consisting of 232 parents, by the use of the Impact of Event Scale, the General Health Questionnaires, and the Inventory of Traumatic Grief. Qualitative aspects of bereavement are assessed by in-depth interviews with family members from 40 families. The results show that the similarities between the samples on outcome and predictors are more striking that the differences, which is explained by the common traumatic aspect of unexpected and violent deaths. One and a half years post-loss, 57-78% of the survivors scored above the cut-off levels for traumatic grief reactions. Although no significant differences are found between survivors of suicide and accidents, both groups evidence significantly greater subjective distress than the survivors of SIDS. Self-isolation is by far the best predictor of psychosocial distress in all three samples. Rather than focusing on the exceptional position of suicide survivors, it seems important to call attention to sudden and traumatic death in general as a factor to be associated with post-traumatic reactions and complicated mourning.
2003
Dyregrov K; Nordanger D; Dyregrov A
Death Studies
2003
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1080/07481180302892" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1080/07481180302892</a>
Early Parental Loss and Intimate Relationships in Adulthood: A Nationwide Study
Being able to form and maintain intimate relationships is an essential part of development and the early loss of a parent may negatively affect this ability. This study investigates the association between parental loss before the age of 18 years and the formation and dissolution of marriage and cohabitation relationships in adulthood, in relation to factors that may help identify potentially vulnerable subgroups of bereaved children, that is, sex of the deceased parent, cause of death and child's age at the time of death. Using data from national registries, we followed all children born in Denmark between 1970 and 1995 (n = 1,525,173) and used Poisson regression models to assess rate ratios by gender for relationship formation and separation according to early parental loss. We stratified the analyses by sex of the deceased parent, cause of death and child's age at the time of death, and adjusted for the confounding effects of parental income, education level, and psychiatric illness. We found that parental loss was associated with a higher rate of relationship formation for young women, but not young men, and higher rates of separation for both men and women. The associations with separation were stronger for persons who lost a parent to suicide than to other causes. The effects were relatively small, a possible testimony to the resilience of developmental processes in most children. However, as long-term relationships are associated with physical and psychological health, interventions for bereaved children and families are important, especially in the subgroup bereaved by suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record
2018-01
Hoeg BL; Johansen C; Christensen J; Frederiksen K; Dalton SO; Dyregrov A; Boge P; Dencker A; Bidstrup PE
Developmental Psychology
2018
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000483" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1037/dev0000483</a>
Parental Relationships following the Loss of a Child
bereavement; grief; Loss of child; parental relationship
To enhance understanding of parental relationships following the loss of a child, a questionnaire was sent to members of Norwegian bereavement support organizations. The sample consisted of 175 couples. Using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), we found that an individual’s ability to talk to a partner about own feelings positively correlated with fewer problems and higher satisfaction and cohesion in the couple. Couples felt closer to one another following the loss and were pleased with their relationship. Early intervention may help couples navigate the changes necessitated in a relationship by the loss of a child and prevent negative dyadic changes.
Dyregrov A; Gjestad R; Dyregrov K
Journal of Loss and Trauma
2020
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2019.1666482" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1080/15325024.2019.1666482</a>