Parental death in childhood: Perceived vulnerability, and adult depression and anxiety.

Mireault, Gina C.; Bond, Lynne A.

doi:10.1037/h0079371

Cited by 59 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…By so doing, he allowed a greater artistic expression of grief while at the same time reinforcing that Twick had been a family member. Resolution of childhood grief is critical, for unresolved childhood grief and perception of vulnerability to loss result in impaired adult relationships and increased adult psychopathology (Agid et al, 1999;Edmans & Marcellino-Boisvert, 2002;Mireault & Bond, 1992). Nonetheless, recent research suggests that emotional disclosure does not facilitate adjustment to loss in normal bereavement (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

And Then the Dog Died

Kaufman

2006

Death Studies

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Childhood grief and mourning of family and friends may have immediate and long-lasting consequences including depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, behavioral disturbances, and school underachievement. Childhood pet bereavement is no less important, because the pet is often considered a member of the family by the child. However, society does not always acknowledge the significance of pet bereavement, which can result in unresolved grief. This article, a case analysis with literature review, addresses childhood pet bereavement in the context of multiple prior losses (K. R. Kaufman & N. D. Kaufman, 2005). This case mirrors both old and new findings in grief research and therapy: (a) beneficial response to emotional expression of grief in context of search for meaning; (b) beneficial response to cognitive approach toward grief with ability to prevent development of complicated grief even in the face of multiple losses; (c) beneficial effects associated with supportive family and with positive self-concept; (d) intensity of grief magnified by the child's degree of attachment to the pet, the suddenness of the pet's death, the multiple prior losses, and the role of the pet in the child's life; and (e) resiliency. This case further emphasizes the need for parents not to trivialize death of pets, to appreciate the role pets have in children's lives, and to assist the child in multiple approaches toward expression (be it verbal, written, or artistic). Finally, this case reinforces the ability of the child to assist in family bereavement and to serve as teacher.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

And Then the Dog Died

Kaufman

2006

Death Studies

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“…Suicide (Crook & Raskin, 1975), alcoholism (Birtchnell, 1972), social introversion (Dietrich, 1984), and dependency (Birtchnell, 1975) have all been linked to childhood parental bereavement. Adults who experienced parental death during childhood have been found to predict a shorter life span for themselves (Denes-Raj & Ehrlichman, 1991), to worry more about their own death (Zall, 1994), and to perceive themselves as more vulnerable to future losses (Mireault & Bond, 1992) than individuals who are not parentally bereaved. Jacobson and Ryder (1969) found that adults who experienced early parental death had more difficulty sustaining intimacy and expressing anger than those who did not have a history of parental loss.…”

Section: Prior Researchmentioning

confidence: 98%

Childhood Family Disruptions and Adult Well-Being: The Differential Effects of Divorce and Parental Death

Mack¹

2001

Death Studies

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This study draws on attachment theory and social learning theory and uses data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the differential effects of childhood family disruptions on adult well-being. Comparisons are made between adults who experienced parental divorce, adults who experienced parental death, and adults who were raised in intact families (N = 4,341). The present study differs from previous research by making direct comparisons between different family disruption groups, assessing the effects of family disruptions that occur before age 19, and including multiple measures of adult well-being as dependent variables. Consistent with hypotheses and inferences made from comparisons with adults from intact families, adults who experienced parental divorce report lower levels of parent-child relationship quality, higher levels of self-confidence, and lower levels of depression than adults who experienced parental death during childhood. Therefore, studies that fail to take type of childhood family disruption into account will lead to inaccurate and misleading conclusions about the effects of these experiences on adult outcomes.

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“…In children, early parental loss from death or separation engenders an increased risk for developing future psychiatric illnesses, such as major depression and anxiety (Mireault and Bond, 1992;Agid et al, 1999). For example, Romanian orphans who received little social support before age three and one-half displayed increased autistic-like behaviors (Rutter et al, 1999) and indiscriminate social behaviors (Chisholm, 1998;O'Connor and Rutter, 2000;Rutter and O'Connor, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amygdala Gene Expression Correlates of Social Behavior in Monkeys Experiencing Maternal Separation

Sabatini¹,

Ebert²,

Lewis³

et al. 2007

J. Neurosci.

113

132

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Children exposed to early parental loss from death or separation carry a greater risk for developing future psychiatric illnesses, such as major depression and anxiety. Monkeys experiencing maternal separation at 1 week of age show fewer social behaviors and an increase in self-comforting behaviors (e.g., thumb sucking) over development, whereas in contrast, monkeys experiencing maternal separation at 1 month of age show increased seeking of social comfort later in life. We sought to identify neural systems that may underlie these stress-induced behavioral changes by examining changes in mRNA content in amygdala tissue collected from 1 week separated, 1 month separated, and maternally reared infants at 3 months of age. mRNA from the right medial temporal lobe, primarily the amygdala, was analyzed using Affymetrix U133A 2.0 arrays. One gene, guanylate cyclase 1 ␣ 3 (GUCY1A3), showed differential expression between the 1 week and maternally reared groups and the 1 week and 1 month groups; these changes were confirmed by in situ hybridization. The expression of this gene was positively correlated with acute social-comforting behavior (r ϭ 0.923; p ϭ 0.001) and longer-term close social behavior (r ϭ 0.708; p ϭ 0.015) and negatively correlated with self-comforting behaviors (r ϭ Ϫ0.88; p Ͻ 0.001). Additional in situ hybridization studies of GUCY1A3 in normal monkeys showed that this gene is expressed at adult levels by 1 week of age and that its expression is greater in the amygdala than all other brain areas examined. We conclude that GUCY1A3 may contribute to the altered behavioral phenotypes that are differentially displayed depending on the age at which macaque infants experience an early-life stress.

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Parental death in childhood: Perceived vulnerability, and adult depression and anxiety.

Cited by 59 publications

References 29 publications

And Then the Dog Died

And Then the Dog Died

Childhood Family Disruptions and Adult Well-Being: The Differential Effects of Divorce and Parental Death

Amygdala Gene Expression Correlates of Social Behavior in Monkeys Experiencing Maternal Separation

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