Parental Relationships following the Loss of a Child

Abstract

To enhance understanding of parental relationships following the loss of a child, a questionnaire was sent to members of Norwegian bereavement support organizations. The sample consisted of 175 couples. Using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), we found that an individual’s ability to talk to a partner about own feelings positively correlated with fewer problems and higher satisfaction and cohesion in the couple. Couples felt closer to one another following the loss and were pleased with their relationship. Early intervention may help couples navigate the changes necessitated in a relationship by the loss of a child and prevent negative dyadic changes.

Keywords:

• Loss of child
• grief
• bereavement
• parental relationship

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Norwegian SIDS Society.

Notes on contributors

Atle Dyregrov

Atle Dyregrov, PhD, is a professor at the Center for crisis psychology, University of Bergen, Norway. He also works a clinical psychologist at the Clinic for crisis psychology. Dyregrov is the author of numerous publications, journal articles and more than 15 books. He has conducted research on various subjects relating to bereavement, trauma and disaster. He is one of the founding members of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Children and War Foundation and has worked extensively for different humanitarian organizations. In 2014, he was awarded Knight 1st Class, Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav by the Norwegian king for his pioneering work within the crisis and disaster field.

Rolf Gjestad

Rolf Gjestad, PhD, works as a statistician at the Division of Mental Health, Haukeland University Hospital, and at Center for crisis psychology, University of Bergen, Norway. He is a clinical psychologist and has worked at the center within the trauma, grief, stress, depression and anxiety field. In 2007 he started at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, and defended his PhD thesis in 2012: “Modeling Comorbidity Change and Long-term Mortality. A Treatment Study of Women with Alcohol Addiction”. Gjestad has worked as a statistician since 2011 on different research projects. Special interests are multivariate models, factor models, structural equation modeling and longitudinal modeling.

Kari Dyregrov

Kari Dyregrov, PhD, is a full-time professor at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. As a sociologist, she has conducted research in the trauma and bereavement field for 25 years and has been project leader for many research projects, among them a project following the bereaved from the Utøya terror in 2011. Her fields of research have also been suicide, social network support, health services and follow up programs after unnatural death, and peer support. Presently she leads a research project about drug death bereavement, stigma and health- and social welfare services. She is the author of numerous journal articles and several books. In 2007 she was given the international Farberow Award for her pioneering research on suicide bereavement.