Social support and prolonged grief disorder symptoms in parents who lost their only child from urban and rural China
Parents; Grief; social support; China; Social Support; Symptoms; International Classification of Diseases; Only Children; parents who lost their only child (shiduers); prolonged grief disorder (PGD); Rural Environments; urban/rural area
Objective: The one-child policy has existed in China for more than 30 years. It brought benefits to the country's economic development and reduced the magnitude of the population within a short period. However, it has led to the emergence of a significant number of parents who have lost their only child, referred to as shiduers (失独者). This study explored the symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) among shiduers and their relationship with the social support shiduers received after they lost the child, specifically accounting for the disparity between rural and urban areas. Method: In total, 405 participants were recruited with a mean age of 60.37 years (SD = 7.78). Around 68.75% were female, and 58.66% were urban shiduers. They were asked to complete a series of self-reported questionnaires, including demographic information, the Social Support Rate Scale, and the Prolonged Grief-13. Results: First, 29.63% of the participants (N = 120) fulfilled the International Classification of Diseases (11th rev.) diagnostic criteria for PGD symptoms; second, PGD symptoms of shiduers were negatively related to social support, including objective support, subjective support, and the availability of support; and third, urban/rural location moderated the effect of objective support on the PGD symptoms of shiduers, but not the effect of subjective support on PGD symptoms. Furthermore, the simple-slope tests indicated that the shiduers in rural areas benefited most from objective support. Conclusions: The present results revealed high rates of PGD symptoms in Chinese shiduers, and our findings highlight the important role of urban/rural location in the relationship between social support and PGD symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) This study could help government leaders and primary health care workers to create targeted programs for shiduers in the future, especially those living in rural areas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
Song C; Fu Z; Li W; Yu Y; Ma J; Li X; Wang J
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
2023
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/tra0001116" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1037/tra0001116</a>
Association of Mortality With the Death of a Sibling in Childhood.
Bereavement; Mortality; Siblings; Adolescent; Age Factors; Cause Of Death; Child; Child, Preschool; Denmark/epidemiology; Family Health/ Statistics & Numerical Data; Female; Follow-up Studies; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Registries; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Sweden/epidemiology; Time Factors
Importance: The death of a close relative is associated with an increased mortality risk among the bereaved, but much less is known about the potential association of the death of a sibling in childhood with mortality in this population. Objective: To examine the association between sibling death in childhood and subsequent mortality risk. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cohort study of 5005029 participants evaluated linked national registers in Denmark (January 1, 1973, through December 31, 2009) and Sweden (January 1, 1973, through December 31, 2008). A total of 2060354 Danish and 2944675 Swedish children who survived the first 6 months of their life were included. We excluded 14 children who died of the same external cause as their siblings within 30 days. Data were analyzed from November 2, 2015, through October 14, 2016. Exposures: Participants were classified as exposed if a sibling died in childhood (age <18 years). Main Outcomes and Measures: Poisson regression was used to estimate mortality rate ratio (MRR) with the exposure as a time-varying variable. Results: Among the 55 818 participants who experienced sibling death in childhood (51.5% male and 48.5% female; median age at loss, 7.0 [interquartile range, 3.3-12.1] years), all-cause mortality risk was increased by 71% (MRR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.57-1.87) during the follow-up of 37 years. The excess mortality risk was observed for groups with specific causes of death, and the higher MRRs were found when the sibling pairs died of the same cause (death due to disease [MRR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.87-2.49]; death due to external cause [MRR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.54-2.37]). The increased mortality risk after sibling death was seen across the follow-up period, regardless of the age at bereavement and the type of death among bereaved siblings, but the magnitude of association was stronger during the first year after sibling death (MRR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.79-3.54). Higher MRRs were found among sibling pairs with the same sex (MRR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.70-2.18) and close age (MRR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.58-2.37). Conclusions and Relevance: Bereavement in childhood because of the death of a sibling was associated with an increased risk for mortality in the short and long term. Health care professionals should be aware of individuals' vulnerability due to sibling death, especially for sibling pairs of close age or the same sex. Social and health care support may help to minimize the potential adverse effects on the bereaved sibling.
Yu Y; Liew Z; Cnattingius S; Olsen J; Vestergaard M; Fu B; Parner ET; Qin G; Zhao N; Li J
Jama Pediatrics
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="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.0197" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.0197</a>