Subject
Attitude to Death; Bereavement; Blacks; Checklists; Chi Square Test; Cross Sectional Studies; Depression; Employment Status; Grandparents Psychosocial Factors; Grief; Health Status; Hispanics; Human; Intensive Care Units; Interviews; Mental Health; Mothers Psychosocial Factors; Neonatal; Paired T-Tests; Pediatric; Physical Fitness; Post-Traumatic; Psychological Tests; Psychosocial; Stress Disorders; Support
Description
Losing a child is devastating for parents and grandparents. Family and friends generally focus on comforting and supporting the bereaved parents, unintentionally ignoring the bereaved grandparents. Grandmothers and grandfathers often struggle with wanting to help their adult children (deceased child’s parents) without usurping the parents’ responsibilities and decisions regarding the deceased child. Research on mothers’ and grandmothers’ health at about the same time after the same child’s death in the neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit is lacking. The aim of this study was to compare mothers and grandmothers on physical health, mental health, and functioning in the first 1–6 months after the same child’s death in a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit.