Parents grieving the loss of their child: interdependence in coping
Parents grieving the loss of their child: interdependence in coping
OBJECTIVES:
A longitudinal study was conducted among bereaved parents, to examine the relationship between parents' own and their partners' ways of coping in terms of the constructs loss-orientation and restoration-orientation (coping strategies based on the bereavement-specific Dual Process Model (Stroebe & Schut, 1999)), and psychological adjustment following the death of their child.
METHOD:
219 couples participated at 6, 13 and 20 months post-loss. Use of the Actor Partner Interdependence Model within multi-level regression analyses enabled assessment of both actor as well as partner effects, and permitted differentiating these effects according to the gender of the parent.
RESULTS:
Loss-orientation was predictive of negative psychological adjustment, while restoration-orientation was related to better adjustment. Furthermore, high levels of restoration-oriented coping buffered the negative effect of high levels of loss-orientation on depression. In the interpersonal context, results indicated that for men, having a female partner high in restoration-oriented coping was related to positive adjustment.
CONCLUSION:
In coping with the loss of their child, intra-personal as well as interpersonal processes are relevant for the adjustment process of parents after the loss of their child.
31-42
Wijngaards-de Meij, Leoniek
2a13c956-0113-4d15-864c-0f6943b7df9d
Stroebe, Margaret
974089ec-6c75-4884-8d5e-0313e719c311
Schut, Henk
fc32d527-3e50-453b-b898-48150009351c
Stroebe, Wolfgang
08310df7-13e5-49c1-bfaa-f583ed392903
Bout, Jan
af7565ae-bc41-4ce3-9a47-b83521779773
van der Heijden, Peter G.M.
85157917-3b33-4683-81be-713f987fd612
Dijkstra, Iris
65e5d0bf-06fb-4b64-bb59-a87cc0033cf2
March 2010
Wijngaards-de Meij, Leoniek
2a13c956-0113-4d15-864c-0f6943b7df9d
Stroebe, Margaret
974089ec-6c75-4884-8d5e-0313e719c311
Schut, Henk
fc32d527-3e50-453b-b898-48150009351c
Stroebe, Wolfgang
08310df7-13e5-49c1-bfaa-f583ed392903
Bout, Jan
af7565ae-bc41-4ce3-9a47-b83521779773
van der Heijden, Peter G.M.
85157917-3b33-4683-81be-713f987fd612
Dijkstra, Iris
65e5d0bf-06fb-4b64-bb59-a87cc0033cf2
Wijngaards-de Meij, Leoniek, Stroebe, Margaret, Schut, Henk, Stroebe, Wolfgang, Bout, Jan, van der Heijden, Peter G.M. and Dijkstra, Iris
(2010)
Parents grieving the loss of their child: interdependence in coping.
British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47 (1), .
(doi:10.1348/014466507X216152).
(PMID:17588295)
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
A longitudinal study was conducted among bereaved parents, to examine the relationship between parents' own and their partners' ways of coping in terms of the constructs loss-orientation and restoration-orientation (coping strategies based on the bereavement-specific Dual Process Model (Stroebe & Schut, 1999)), and psychological adjustment following the death of their child.
METHOD:
219 couples participated at 6, 13 and 20 months post-loss. Use of the Actor Partner Interdependence Model within multi-level regression analyses enabled assessment of both actor as well as partner effects, and permitted differentiating these effects according to the gender of the parent.
RESULTS:
Loss-orientation was predictive of negative psychological adjustment, while restoration-orientation was related to better adjustment. Furthermore, high levels of restoration-oriented coping buffered the negative effect of high levels of loss-orientation on depression. In the interpersonal context, results indicated that for men, having a female partner high in restoration-oriented coping was related to positive adjustment.
CONCLUSION:
In coping with the loss of their child, intra-personal as well as interpersonal processes are relevant for the adjustment process of parents after the loss of their child.
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Published date: March 2010
Organisations:
Statistical Sciences Research Institute
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Local EPrints ID: 344683
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344683
ISSN: 0144-6657
PURE UUID: aecae8d3-cd3e-4d56-8178-bbbbc0665707
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Date deposited: 26 Oct 2012 15:14
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:46
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Contributors
Author:
Leoniek Wijngaards-de Meij
Author:
Margaret Stroebe
Author:
Henk Schut
Author:
Wolfgang Stroebe
Author:
Jan Bout
Author:
Iris Dijkstra
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