Anticipating parental death in families with young children.
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY 1999;
69:39-48. [PMID:
9990435 DOI:
10.1037/h0080380]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Findings from a community study of parentally bereaved children demonstrate that forewarning of death is not associated with more favorable mental health outcomes than is sudden death of a parent. The applicability of the of the general anticipatory grief literature to the circumstances of children facing the loss of a parent is called into question, and the need to assess more carefully the effect on children of a parent's protracted terminal illness is emphasized.
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