The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Unresolved Grief in a National Sample of Bereaved Parents: Impaired Mental and Physical Health 4 to 9 Years Later
Open accessAbstract
Purpose: To assess unresolved parental grief, the associated long-term impact on mental and physical health, and health service use. Patients and Methods: This anonymous, mail-in questionnaire study was performed as a population-based investigation in Sweden between August 2001 and October 2001. Four hundred forty-nine parents who lost a child as a result of cancer 4 to 9 years earlier completed the survey (response rate, 80%). One hundred ninety-one (43%) of the bereaved parents were fathers, and 251 (56%) were mothers. Bereaved parents were asked whether or not, and to what extent, they had worked through their grief. They were also asked about their physical and psychological well-being. For outcomes of interest, we report relative risk (RR) with 95% CIs as well as unadjusted odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios. Results: Parents with unresolved grief reported significantly worsening psychological health (fathers: RR, 3.6; 95% CI, 2.0 to 6.4; mothers: RR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.9 to 4.4) and physical health (fathers: RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.8 to 4.4; mothers: RR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.6 to 3.3) compared with those who had worked through their grief. Fathers with unresolved grief also displayed a significantly higher risk of sleep difficulties (RR, 6.7; 95% CI, 2.5 to 17.8). Mothers, however, reported increased visits with physicians during the previous 5 years (RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.6) as well as a greater likelihood of taking sick leave when they had not worked through their grief (RR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.5). Conclusion: Parents who have not worked through their grief are at increased risk of long-term mental and physical morbidity, increased health service use, and increased sick leave.
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“One previous study (Lannen et al., 2008) has reported that a majority (73.5%) of parents who had lost a child to cancer had sleep difficulties 4–9 years later.”
From Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia after the loss of a child to cancer: Randomized controlled trial (2021) · cites this paper as Lannen et al., 2008
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Metadata
- Authors
- Lannen, P. K., Wolfe, J., Prigerson, H. G., Onelov, E., & Kreicbergs, U. C.
- Affiliations
- From the Phyllis F. Cantor Center; the Department of Psychooncology and Palliative Care Research; and the Department of Pediatric Oncology and the Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and the Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA; the Department of Psychology, Universität Bern, Bern, Switzerland; the Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology; and the Department of Women and Child's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- University of Bern (CH)
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Published
- 2008-12-20
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 36
- Pages
- 5870-5876
- ISSN
- 0732-183X (ISSN-L)
- 1527-7755
- PMC
- PMC2645112
- OpenAlex
- W2129225171
- Cited by
- 246
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 7.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Oncology (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Charles H. Hood Foundation
- Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning
- National Cancer Institute (K07CA096746)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Keywords
- unresolved grief, parental bereavement, child cancer, bereaved parents, mental health, physical health, sleep disorders, health care utilization, sick leave, grief processing, parents
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Bereavement, Fathers, Female, Grief, Health Services, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Mothers, Neoplasms, Parents, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sweden, Time Factors
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