A profile analysis of post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms among Chinese Shidu parents

Abstract

Background: Due to the one-child policy implemented in China, most families have only one child. When parents experience the death of their only child, these parents receive the label 'Shidu parents'. Shidu is a major public health issue in China. However, the patterns of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms that are present in this population remain unclear. Objective: This study aims to identify profiles of PTSD and depressive symptoms among Shidu parents and to explore the predictors of profile membership. Methods: A total of 363 participants (M age = 61.5 years, SD = 7.5) were asked to complete questionnaires assessing PTSD, depressive symptoms, perceived social support, and demographic information. Latent profile analyses and multivariate logistic regressions were used. Results: Three distinct profiles were identified: low (39.4%), moderate (32.8%), and high symptoms (27.8%). Parents who were younger and perceived lower levels of support from family and significant others were more likely to experience higher levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These results indicate that the severity of PTSD and depressive symptoms tightly cohere, providing evidence for the co-occurrence of PTSD and depressive symptoms after bereavement. The findings provide valuable information for the development of tailored professional interventions for bereaved parents. Un análisis de perfil del trastorno de estrés postraumático y de los sίntomas de depresiόn entre los padres shidu chinos Antecedentes: Debido a la política de un hijo implementada en China, la mayoría de las familias tienen sólo un hijo. Cuando los padres experimentan la muerte de su único hijo, estos padres reciben la etiqueta de 'padres shidu'. Shidu es un gran problema de salud pública en China. Sin embargo, los patrones del trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) y de los síntomas de depresión que se presentan en esta población no están claros. Objetivo: Este estudio busca identificar los perfiles del TEPT y de los síntomas depresivos entre los padres shidu y explorar los predictores de la pertenencia al perfil. Método: Se le solicitó a un total de 363 participantes (M edad = 61.5 años, DE = 7.5) que completaran cuestionarios para evaluar TEPT, síntomas depresivos, apoyo social, e información demográfica. Se usaron análisis de perfil latente y regresiones logísticas multivariadas. Resultados: Tres perfiles distintivos fueron identificados: síntomas bajos (39.4%), moderados (32.8%), y altos (27.8%). Los padres que eran más jóvenes y que reportaron niveles más bajos de apoyo desde la familia y otros tenían más probabilidades de experimentar altos niveles de TEPT y síntomas depresivos. Conclusiones: Estos resultados indican que la severidad del TEPT y los síntomas depresivos coinciden estrechamente, proporcionando evidencia para la co-occurrencia del TEPT y los síntomas depresivos luego de la pérdida. Los hallazgos proveen información valiosa para el desarrollo de intervenciones profesionales a la medida para los padres en due...

Culture-related grief beliefs and social support influence depressive symptoms of Shidu parents in rural China

“…First, this study found a negative association between age and depressive symptoms. This result is inconsistent with some studies (Wang et al, 2015;Zhang & Jia, 2020b) but consistent with an existing study (Eli et al, 2020). A possible explanation is that younger parents may have more ambitions and plans, and the death of their only child subverts their expectations (Zhou et al, 2020).…”

“…A possible explanation is that younger parents may have more ambitions and plans, and the death of their only child subverts their expectations (Zhou et al, 2020). In addition, with increasing age, parents have likely experienced more negative events and thus may have more psychological energy to cope with traumatic events (Eli et al, 2020). Compared with elderly people, young people, who typically experience high pressure from work and family, are often neglected by society and perceive less social support.…”

“…Thus, interventions that increase both financial and emotional social support are necessary for rural Shidu parents. On the one hand, more financial support could be provided to Shidu parents, such as improving the social insurance system and subsidizing poor families (Eli et al, 2020). On the other hand, emotional help and care from family members, friends, and neighbours can alleviate depressive symptoms, especially in rural China, where the relationship between neighbours may be closer than that of distant relatives (Fan et al, 2018).…”

“…Second, cognitive therapy for Shidu parents may not only focus on the general grief cognitions identified in existing studies but can also be expanded to include culturerelated grief beliefs (Shi et al, 2019). Finally, rural Shidu parents are a vulnerable group with low economic status even before their only child died (Eli et al, 2020). Losing an only child, facing financial pressure, and having no one to rely on deeply aggravate the depressive symptoms of rural Shidu parents.…”

Longitudinal transitions in patterns of post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms and psychological distress among South Korean adults with traumatic experiences

“…In fact, a meta‐analytic review found that time since trauma was a significant predictor of lower depression and higher positive affect (Helgeson et al., 2006). However, some recent studies found no significant effect of time since trauma (Eli et al., 2020; Shigemoto & Robitschek, 2018), confirmed inconsistent results (Shigemoto et al., 2017), and failed to examine the effect of time since trauma on transitions in the severity of trauma‐related symptoms over time (Read et al., 2016), highlighting researchers' inability to control for time passed. Therefore, in line with these studies which suggest controlling for the amount of time elapsed since traumatic experience (Frazier et al., 2001; Horesh et al., 2011; Shigemoto et al., 2017), we included time since trauma as a covariate.…”