The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
Couples at Risk Following the Death of Their Child: Predictors of Grief Versus Depression
Authors:
Wijngaards-de Meij, Leoniek
Stroebe, Margaret
Schut, Henk
Stroebe, Wolfgang
van den Bout, Jan
van der Heijden, Peter
Dijkstra, Iris
Source:
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology: 2005, 73(4), pp. 617-623.
Summary
This article describes a longitudinal study designed to identify variables influencing parental grief and depression following the death of a child. Couples who had experienced the death of a child completed questionnaires at 6, 13 and 20 months postloss. The researchers measured the participants’ grief reactions using the Inventory of Complicated Grief and participants’ depression using the Depressive Symptomatology subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90. Four variables were found to be significant in terms of the intensity of grief experienced: the age of the child, the number of surviving children, the cause of death and the nature of the loss (unexpected or anticipated). Variables that influenced the level of depression included gender, religious affiliation, and professional help seeking. The authors concluded that depression and grief are different constructs, influenced by different variables.
Key Words: couple, child, predict, depression, longitudinal, ICG, gender, religion
Service Provider Implications
Service providers may benefit from being aware that this study predicts that parents of a child who dies unexpectedly from traumatic causes are more likely to experience high levels of grief. In addition, parents with fewer surviving children are likely to experience more intense grief.
