Emotional symptoms and physical health in bereaved parents

The purpose of this study was to compare the emotional symptoms and physical health of parents whose children had died suddenly in an accident, parents whose children had died following a chronic disease, and nonbereaved parents. Data for this retrospective survey were collected by mailed questionnaires: the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL), Bereavement Health Assessment Scale, Review of Life Experiences Scale, and a personal-situation questionnaire. Subjects were 30 bereaved parents who had experienced the death of a child following a chronic disease; 31 bereaved parents whose children died in an accident; and 81 nonbereaved parents. Findings indicated significant differences between the bereaved groups and the control group on the total scale score of the HSCL and on the subscales measuring Depression, Anxiety, Somatization, Obsession-Compulsion, and Interpersonal Sensitivity. However, there were no differences on these variables between the two bereaved groups. Bereaved parents with higher concurrent life stresses and parents from a lower socioeconomic background were at higher risk for emotional symptomatology. There were no significant differences among the three groups on the number of physician/nurse visits, number of hospital admissions, number of new or recurrent illnesses, or drug usage. Bereaved parents, however, more frequently reported appetite and sleep problems.