Anxiety is contagious-symptoms of anxiety in the terminally ill child affect long-term psychological well-being in bereaved parents.
BACKGROUND
We studied the relation between unrelieved symptoms in terminally ill children and the psychological well-being in the bereaved parents 4-9 years after their loss.


METHODS
We contacted parents in Sweden who had lost a child to a malignancy 1992-1997. The parents were asked to assess symptoms affecting their child's well-being during his or her last month of life, and their own current psychological well-being.


RESULTS
Altogether 449/561 (80%) eligible parents supplied information on 19 specific symptoms that may occur in children with a malignancy and how each of these symptoms had affected their child's well-being during his or her last month of life (not applicable, none, low, moderate, or severe). These results were linked to questions concerning the parents' self-assessed mental health. Parents of children who were affected by disturbed sleep also had increased risk to develop these symptoms; RR 2.0 [1.4-2.9] for depression, 1.8 [1.3-2.5] for anxiety, 1.5 [1.2-1.8] for decreased psychological well-being, and 1.5 [1.3-1.9] for decreased quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Bereaved parents whose children were affected by anxiety or disturbed sleep due to anxiety or pain had an increased risk of long-term psychological morbidity. Reducing psychological complications in seriously ill children may also improve the psychological well-being in bereaved parents.
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Li
L
Jalmsell
Ulrika
U
Kreicbergs
Erik
E
Onelöv
Gunnar
G
Steineck
Jan-Inge
JI
Henter
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001601:Bereavement; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult