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Published on: June 10, 2013
Gender differences in parental psychological distress following perinatal death or sudden infant death syndrome
J C Vance1, F M Boyle, J M Najman
1Department of Child Health, The University of Queensland, Australia.
Background:
Stress responses of bereaved parents (mothers 194, fathers 143) who experienced infant loss were compared with parents (mothers 203, fathers 157) with a live born child.
Method:
Psychological distress using scales of anxiety, depression and alcohol use was compared at 2, 8, 15 and 30 months post-loss.
Results:
Bereaved mothers showed significantly more anxiety/depression than controls at all four interviews. For bereaved fathers, anxiety/depression differed significantly from controls only at two months. Heavy alcohol use was significantly more prevalent at 2 and 30 months. Relative risks showed significant gender differences between bereaved parents at all four interviews for anxiety/depression. When this outcome was extended to include heavy drinking in addition to anxiety/depression, these differences diminished and were significant only at 2 and 8 months. CONCLUSION. Female responses are longer lasting and reflected by elevated levels of anxiety/depression. Male responses equally involve anxiety, depression and heavy alcohol consumption.
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