The impact of losing a child on the clinical presentation of complicated grief.

Year: 2015 Source: Journal of Affective Disorders.(2015).170(1 January 2015):15Ð21.doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.08.021 SIEC No: 20150033

It is unclear whether bereaved parents with Complicated Grief (CG) struggle with their grief differently than others with CG. This study addressed this question by comparing CG severity, CG-related symptoms, thoughts and behaviors, and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses of bereaved parents with CG to the diagnoses and symptoms of others with CG. Even in the context of CG, the relationship to the deceased may have a bearing on the degree and severity of grief symptoms and associated features. Bereaved parents with CG reported more intense CG, self-blame, and suicidality than other bereaved groups with CG, though this finding requires confirmation. The heightened levels of suicidal ideation experienced by parents with CG, especially after losing a younger child, suggest the value of routinely screening for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in this group.

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Zetumer, S.Young, I.et al.