Child Bereavement After Paternal Suicide

Grossman, Janet; Clark, David; Gross, Deborah; Halstead, Lois; Pennington, James

doi:10.1111/j.1744-6171.1995.tb00525.x

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…In general, there is a higher risk of mental health problems among double bereaved children and young adults, compared with those who experience singularly a parental loss, or a parental divorce (WHO-World Health Organization, 2018). Studies have found high prevalence of mental health problems among double bereaved children and young adults in terms of severe mood disorders (Lu et al, 2008); depression in adulthood (Oakley Browne et al, 1995); PTSD (Grossman, Clark, Gross, Halstead, & Pennington, 1995); psychosis (Morgan et al, 2007); and prolonged grief, alcohol misuse and bodily distress (Marcussen, Hounsgaard, O'Connor, et al, 2019a).…”

Section: Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Double bereavement, mental health consequences and support needs of children and young adults—When a divorced parent dies

Marcussen

Thuen

O’Connor

et al. 2020

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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Aims and objectives To explore how children and young adults from divorced families experience double bereavement when they lose a divorced parent with cancer and how the double bereavement influences their mental health consequences and need of support. Background Children and young people who are confronted with the cancer and death of a parent is a highly stressful life event, which is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, especially when children experience divorced parental cancer and death. Design Participant observations and interviews with a phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach and COREQ standards for reporting qualitative research. Methods We conducted 340 hr of participant observations within nine different support groups totalling 27 children and young adults from divorced families and included 28 interviews with participants and relatives. Analyses are based on Ricoeur's theory of interpretation: naïve reading, structural analysis, interpretation and discussion. Results The experiences with double bereavement identified three main themes: 1. navigating through multiple transitions and disruptions within two family worlds; 2. consequences for mental health including stress overload and disruptions to well‐being; and 3. need for accessible support derived from close relationships and professionals within and in‐between family worlds. Conclusion Children and young adult's double bereavement includes multiple transitions and disruptions often related to stress overload and mental health problems. Support from close relationships and professionals is experienced as helpful in the prevention and mitigation of mental health problems. Relevance to clinical practice There is a need for targeted accessible support availability to children, young adults and their families when a divorced parent is dying of cancer in clinical practice. Our findings suggest that specific health policies for health professionals should be developed to target improved support for these families.

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Section: Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Double bereavement, mental health consequences and support needs of children and young adults—When a divorced parent dies

Marcussen

Thuen

O’Connor

et al. 2020

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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“…[31] Grossman highlighted that family support programmes, supportive and nurturing mothers, and no exposure to parents who are mentally ill, may help children to handle the double loss and bereavement better and reduce the risk of developing psychological problems. [29] Other studies, such as Bugge (2009), confirmed that when one of the parents is critically ill in divorced families, the parents' conflicts are reduced when they attend family support programmes, and that professionals may act as buffers between the ex-partners, and between the critically ill parent and the child. [26] Children need to be in dialogue with other family members, but Bugge showed that the children also need support, without having to think about family members' reactions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Four of the studies showed considerable consequences for mental health, e.g., severe mood disorders, [32] psychosis, [27] current or lifetime depressions [28] and PTSD. [29] Davey showed that adolescents in divorced families with parental critical illness try to protect their parents by not sharing their feelings. They feel overwhelmed by sadness and fear, which the parents are often unaware of.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[28] Also, PTSD is significantly related to double bereavement, particularly if the death is caused by paternal suicide. [29] Lu et al found that, among children with severe mood disorders, it was also related to risk of adverse childhood events, such as divorce and parental death. [32] The children and adolescents who struggle with double bereavement often express problems related to mental health issues, such as stress, loneliness, anxiety and depression and they have a risk of developing in an unhealthy way if left alone without psychosocial support.…”

Section: Increased Risk Of Mental Health Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parental divorce and parental death - An integrative systematic review of children’s double bereavement

Marcussen

Thuen²,

Poul

et al. 2015

Clinical Nursing Studies

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The aim of this review was to identify research on children and adolescents who experience double bereavement, i.e. the experience of loss through parental divorce followed by either parental death or critical illness with imminent death. This knowledge may identify evidence to underpin knowledge and practice for nurses and other health professionals, so they can intervene with these children and adolescents more efficaciously. An integrative systematic review was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO. The results show four major themes: Complexity in their experiences of double bereavement; challenges in both custodial and non-custodial parental death; risk of mental health problems, and the need of support and interventions.

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“…Children silently worried that the affected parent might attempt to commit suicide (cf. Grossman et al, 1995), which increased their sense of loneliness. Monitoring a mentally ill parent's behaviour in order to discover signs of them falling ill, as described by Mordoch and Hall (2008), seems to be a task children assumed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Children's View of a Major Depression Affecting a Parent in the Family

Ahlström

Skärsäter

Danielson

2011

Issues in Mental Health Nursing

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This study aims to elucidate, from the children's perspective, the meaning for family life of a parent suffering a major depression disorder. Eight children and young adults were interviewed. Phenomenological-hermeneutic analysis generated two themes: (1) "Being a rescuing observer" with the subthemes, "Being attentive" and "Being considerate," and (2) "Being a frustrated observer" with the subthemes, "feeling discomfort" and "being out of it." Children's lives alternate between responsibility and loneliness as they wait for reciprocity in family life to return to normal. Children need support in order to manage their sense of responsibility and loneliness adequately.

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Child Bereavement After Paternal Suicide

Abstract: The concept of grief and trauma as separate and overlapping phenomena is supported by the study findings.

Cited by 13 publications

References 25 publications

Double bereavement, mental health consequences and support needs of children and young adults—When a divorced parent dies

Double bereavement, mental health consequences and support needs of children and young adults—When a divorced parent dies

Parental divorce and parental death - An integrative systematic review of children’s double bereavement

Children's View of a Major Depression Affecting a Parent in the Family

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