An Investigation of Grief and Adaptation in Parents Whose Children Have Died from Cancer

There has been a strange reluctance to address the issue of childhood terminal illness with the same vigor as other topics, and there has been even less investigation of the reactions and experience of the parents of the terminally ill child.

Abstract

The experiences and adaptation of 54 parents were studied from 2 months to 3 years following the death of their child from cancer. There appears to be a phenomenon in the 3rd year of bereavement which is associated with an intensification of the grief experience and suggests that parental bereavement may actually worsen with time. Other findings indicate that there are "optimum" amounts of anticipatory grief, participation with the hospitalized child, and lengths of illness, below and above which parental adjustment is compromised. Anticipatory grief was found to have statistically significant salutary effects. Parental participation during the child's hospitalization was found to be significantly associated with higher ratings of parental satisfaction with the child's treatment. Overall mothers appeared to sustain grief experiences reflective of higher degrees of intensity and poorer adjustment as compared to fathers, although only to a statistically significant level on two variables. The amount of support received during the illness had a mixed effect upon the parents' grief and adjustment. Previous loss tended to be associated with poorer bereavement outcomes and lower anticipatory grief.