Bereaved mothers and fathers are influenced by distinct factors when navigating child loss.

WEDNESDAY, January 8, 2020 (Journal of Clinical Oncology) – Different factors influence the length of grieving symptoms for mothers and fathers mourning the death of a child, according to a study published in the January 10th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In this study, Lilian Pohlkamp, MSc, of the Ersta Skondal Bracke University College in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues surveyed 133 mothers and 92 fathers in Sweden who had lost a child to cancer 1 to 5 years earlier. The authors used univariable and multiple regression analyses to determine factors across the illness trajectory that influence prolonged parental grief.

The results of the study indicate that the factors influencing the length of bereavement differ between mothers and fathers. For mothers, the factors that significantly influenced prolonged grief were being able to talk about feelings within the family (P = .00) and trusting that health care professionals made every possible effort to cure the child (P= .01). For fathers, these factors were having said farewell to the deceased child in the way they wanted (P = .00) and feeling that they had received practical support from health care professionals during the child’s illness trajectory (P = .01).

“The results of this study can improve the care provided to severely ill children and their families, and health care professionals’ awareness of the importance of these factors may have a positive effect on parents’ grief outcomes,” concluded the authors.

Pohlkamp L, Kreicbergs U, Sveen J. Factors During a Child's Illness Are Associated With Levels of Prolonged Grief Symptoms in Bereaved Mothers and Fathers. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38(2):137-144. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.01493.