Alcohol and drug usage in parents soon after stillbirth, neonatal death or SIDS

Abstract

The behaviour of bereaved parents with respect to their drug and alcohol ingestion was examined 2 months following the loss of an infant from stillbirth (SB) neonatal death (NND) or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Responses from bereaved families (99 SB, 109 NND, 52 SIDS) were compared with 252 control families (who had a liveborn infant). There was no difference in self-medication using aspirin as the example. The use of sedative drugs was significantly higher in all bereaved mothers (but especially the SIDS group). Use of sedatives by fathers was significantly higher only in the SIDS group. There was also a greater frequency of heavy drinking of mothers in all the bereaved groups and fathers in the SIDS group. These results have implications for the understanding and care of families following infant loss.

Myocardial Infarction in Parents Who Lost a Child

“…Furthermore, similar MI risks in the two cohorts were seen during the first 6 years of follow-up, indicating that the two groups had a comparable MI risk at baseline. The bereaved parents could possibly develop more risky lifestyles, [15][16][17] which may be one of the possible causal pathways for the association. 5,7 The study could be confounded by genetic factors modifying both the risk of cardiovascular diseases and the cause of specific childhood deaths.…”

“…Bereaved parents often experience numerous forms of psychological stress, such as depression, despair, anxiety, guilt, anger, hostility, hopelessness, as well as preoccupation with thoughts of the deceased child. [12][13][14][15] They may have more somatic complaints and interpersonal difficulties and react with more adverse health behaviors. [12][13][14][15][16][17] It has been suggested that factors related to the nature of the death, personal characteristics, and interpersonal contexts could modify the effect of the bereavement.…”

“…[12][13][14][15] They may have more somatic complaints and interpersonal difficulties and react with more adverse health behaviors. [12][13][14][15][16][17] It has been suggested that factors related to the nature of the death, personal characteristics, and interpersonal contexts could modify the effect of the bereavement. 12,13 Unexpected deaths, such as those caused by sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), are often more stressful than deaths after prolonged illness, 12,13,18,19 and the age of the deceased child may also be related to parents' responses.…”

Stroke in Parents Who Lost a Child: A Nationwide Follow-Up Study in Denmark

“…Bereaved parents may have more somatic complaints, interpersonal difficulties and react with more adverse health behaviors [18][19][20][21]. However, so far no study of sufficient size has investigated the importance of parental bereavement in relation to stroke or other forms of cerebrovascular diseases.…”

“…The death of a child is one of the most extreme stressors [17,18], and this life event may lead to depression, despair, anxiety, guilt, anger, hostility and hopelessness [18][19][20][21]. Bereaved parents may have more somatic complaints, interpersonal difficulties and react with more adverse health behaviors [18][19][20][21].…”