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News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

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Friday, July 04, 2008

Sudden Parental Death Can Result in Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome

Only 4% of American and European children will experience the sudden death of a parent. However, that event puts them at a threefold risk for depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS).

Dr. Nadine Melham of the University of Pittsburgh Medical School compared 140 children who had lost a parent to suicide, accident, or sudden natural death to children with two living parents. She found that the children who had lost a parent suddenly were at high risk for depression, and that it did not matter if the death was a suicide. The children fared worse if their caregivers were suffering from depression, PTSS, anxiety, or other psychological disorders.

This study appears in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Labels: death, depression, post-traumatic-stress

posted by ByParents-forParents at 4:59 PM 0 comments

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Friday, July 04, 2008