Anxiety is contagious-symptoms of anxiety in the terminally ill child affect long-term psychological well-being in bereaved parents

Anxiety is contagious-symptoms of anxiety in the terminally ill child affect long-term psychological well-being in bereaved parents

Jalmsell L; Kreicbergs U; Onelov E; Steineck G; Henter JI

Pediatric Blood & Cancer

2010

Child; Female; Humans; infant; Male; Young Adult; Adult; Parent-Child Relations; quality of life; adolescent; Preschool; Adaptation; Psychological; bereavement; Terminally Ill/psychology; infant; Charting the Territory; Newborn; Parents/psychology; Anxiety/epidemiology/etiology/psychology; Depression/epidemiology; Neoplasms/psychology; Sweden/epidemiology

BACKGROUND: We studied the relation between unrelieved symptoms in terminally ill children and the psychological well-being in the bereaved parents 4-9 years after their loss. PROCEDURE: We contacted parents in Sweden who had lost a child to a malignancy 1992-1997. The parents were asked to assess symptoms affecting their child's well-being during his or her last month of life, and their own current psychological well-being. RESULTS: Altogether 449/561 (80%) eligible parents supplied information on 19 specific symptoms that may occur in children with a malignancy and how each of these symptoms had affected their child's well-being during his or her last month of life (not applicable, none, low, moderate, or severe). These results were linked to questions concerning the parents' self-assessed mental health. Parents of children who were affected by disturbed sleep also had increased risk to develop these symptoms; RR 2.0 [1.4-2.9] for depression, 1.8 [1.3-2.5] for anxiety, 1.5 [1.2-1.8] for decreased psychological well-being, and 1.5 [1.3-1.9] for decreased quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Bereaved parents whose children were affected by anxiety or disturbed sleep due to anxiety or pain had an increased risk of long-term psychological morbidity. Reducing psychological complications in seriously ill children may also improve the psychological well-being in bereaved parents.

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