Sudden infant death syndrome: Long-Term reactions among mothers and fathers

Abstract

Parents whose child has died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) were assessed with regard to level of symptoms and subjective adaptation to the loss. The respondents (h = 251) were divided into three groups according to the length of time since the death. The findings revealed that the female respondents were severely affected for several years after the loss. Although their levels of symptoms seemed to decrease and their subjective adaptation seemed to improve over the years, they had substantially higher levels of symptoms 60 months or more post-loss, as compared to a normal female group. In general, the male respondents displayed fewer symptoms and higher levels of subjective adaptation than the females. Although males and females differed in their reactions, there were significant positive correlations between the reactions of the two spouses, a strong reaction in one spouse being associated with a similar reaction in the other.