Couples at Risk Following the Death of Their Child: Predictors of Grief Versus Depression.

• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006x.73.4.617
• Publication Date: 2005-10-18T17:32:23Z
• Authors: Leoniek Wijngaard...; Margaret Stroebe; Henk Schut; Wolfgang Stroebe; Jan van den Bout; Peter van der Hei...; Iris Dijkstra
• Keywords: Depression; Traumatic Grief; Complicated Grief; Longitudinal Study

This longitudinal study examined the relative impact of major variables for predicting adjustment (in terms both grief and depression) among bereaved parents following death their child. Couples (N = 219) participated 6, 13, 20 months postloss. Use multilevel regression analyses enabled assessment several predictors facilitated analysis factors that were either shared by or individual. Grief was predicted mainly parent factors: child's age, cause unexpectedness death, number remaining children. By contrast, depression individual gender, religious affiliation, professional help seeking. Theoretical implications these findings are discussed.