Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Florida International University, AHC 3, Rm 241, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
Ital J Pediatr. 2018 Aug 10;44(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s13052-018-0531-8.
Losing a child is devastating for parents and grandparents. Family and friends generally focus on comforting and supporting the bereaved parents, unintentionally ignoring the bereaved grandparents. Grandmothers and grandfathers often struggle with wanting to help their adult children (deceased child's parents) without usurping the parents' responsibilities and decisions regarding the deceased child. Research on mothers' and grandmothers' health at about the same time after the same child's death in the neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit is lacking. The aim of this study was to compare mothers and grandmothers on physical health, mental health, and functioning in the first 1-6 months after the same child's death in a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit.
This cross-sectional secondary analysis compared 32 mothers with 32 grandmothers of the same 32 deceased children (newborn-6 years). Grandmothers were recruited through these 32 mothers. Most grandmothers and mothers were Hispanic (25%, 34%) or Black (44%, 41%), respectively. Mothers and grandmothers separately completed questions about their Physical Health, Mental Health [depression (Beck Depression Inventory), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, Impact of Events-R), grief (Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist)], and Functioning (social support [MSPSS] and Employment) since the child's/grandchild's death. Paired t-tests and Chi Square tests were used to compare grandmothers with mothers of the same deceased infant/child on their private and separate responses to study measures.
Mothers had significantly more acute illnesses than grandmothers. More mothers (63%) than grandmothers (37%) were categorized as clinically depressed. More mothers (69%) than grandmothers (44%) had clinical PTSD. Mothers reported significantly higher levels of despair and detachment than grandmothers. Only 4 mothers and 2 grandmothers were in therapy at the time of interview. Grandmothers and mothers rated their ability to concentrate on their work and their level of social support similarly.
Mothers had more acute illnesses, more severe depression, and a higher level of grief than grandmothers. However, few received therapy despite their high levels of depressive and PTSD symptoms.
失去孩子对父母和祖父母来说是毁灭性的打击。家人和朋友通常专注于安慰和支持悲痛欲绝的父母，无意中忽略了悲痛欲绝的祖父母。祖母和祖父经常努力帮助他们的成年子女（已故孩子的父母），而不篡夺父母对已故孩子的责任和决定。关于在新生儿或儿科重症监护病房同一孩子去世后，母亲和祖母的健康状况的研究很少。本研究旨在比较同一孩子在新生儿或儿科重症监护病房去世后 1-6 个月内母亲和祖母的身体健康、心理健康和功能。
这项横断面二次分析比较了 32 名母亲和 32 名同一 32 名已故孩子（新生儿-6 岁）的祖母。祖母是通过这 32 位母亲招募的。大多数祖母和母亲分别是西班牙裔（25%，34%）或黑人（44%，41%）。母亲和祖母分别完成了关于他们身体健康、心理健康[抑郁（贝克抑郁量表）、创伤后应激障碍（PTSD，事件影响量表）、悲伤（霍根悲伤反应清单）]和功能（社会支持[MSPSS]和就业）的问题自从孩子/孙子的死亡。使用配对 t 检验和卡方检验比较同一已故婴儿/儿童的母亲和祖母对研究措施的私人和单独反应。
母亲的急性疾病明显多于祖母。更多的母亲（63%）比祖母（37%）被归类为临床抑郁。更多的母亲（69%）比祖母（44%）患有临床 PTSD。母亲报告的绝望和超脱程度明显高于祖母。只有 4 名母亲和 2 名祖母在接受采访时正在接受治疗。祖母和母亲对自己专注于工作的能力和社会支持水平的评价相似。
母亲比祖母有更多的急性疾病、更严重的抑郁和更高水平的悲伤。然而，尽管抑郁和 PTSD 症状严重，很少有人接受治疗。
