The forgotten griever: A nationwide follow-up study of mortality subsequent to the death of a sibling
Open accessAbstract
Previous findings have suggested that the loss of a family member is associated with mortality among bereaved family members. The least-studied familial relationship in the bereavement literature is that of siblings, although loss of a sibling may also involve health consequences. The authors conducted a follow-up study based on data from the Swedish total population register, covering the period 1981-2002. Using Cox regression, mortality risk ratios for bereaved and nonbereaved persons aged 18-69 years were estimated. All-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality (unnatural causes, natural causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, suicide, accidents, and all other causes) were examined. In men, the mortality risk for bereaved persons versus nonbereaved persons was 1.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.22, 1.30), and in women it was 1.33 (95% confidence interval: 1.28, 1.39). An elevated mortality risk associated with a sibling's death was found in all age groups studied, but the association was generally stronger at younger ages and could be observed predominantly after more than 1 year of follow-up. There was also an increased mortality risk if the sibling had died from a discordant main cause, which may strengthen the possibility that the association observed is not due to confounding alone.
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The loss of a first-degree family member significantly increases the risk of mortality, disease, and suicide for the mourner.
“The loss of a first-degree family member significantly increases the risk of mortality, disease, and suicide for the mourner (2–6).”
From Ayahuasca-assisted meaning reconstruction therapy for grief: a non-randomized clinical trial protocol (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
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- Authors
- Rostila, M., Saarela, J., & Kawachi, I.
- Affiliations
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Åbo Akademi University (FI)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rostila, M.
- Venue
- American Journal of Epidemiology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2012-07-19
- Volume
- 176
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 338-346
- ISSN
- 0002-9262 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-6256
- OpenAlex
- W2112729307
- Cited by
- 94
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 6.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- nrs.harvard.edu
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- American Journal of Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Demography › Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management
- Keywords
- loss of a sibling, mortality risk, bereavement, grief, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality, suicide, cause-specific mortality, sex differences, age differences
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Bereavement, Cause of Death, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mortality, Registries, Sex Factors, Sweden, Proportional Hazards Models, Siblings, Young Adult
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