Yao Xu1, Helen Herrman2, Rebecca Bentley1, Atsuro Tsutsumi3, Jane Fisher4. 1. Centre for Women's Health, Gender and Society, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Level 3, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3010, Australia . 2. Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia . 3. International Institute for Global Health, United Nations University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . 4. The Jean Hailes Research Unit, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia .
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether having a subsequent child had an effect on the mental health of Chinese mothers who lost a child during an earthquake. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of bereaved mothers was conducted 30 to 34 months after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake using individual structured interviews to assess sociodemographic characteristics, post-disaster experiences and mental health. The interviews incorporated standardized psychometric measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complicated grief (CG). Social support was also assessed. An adjusted model taking potential confounders into account was used to explore any association between psychological symptoms and the birth of a subsequent child. FINDINGS: The prevalence of psychological symptoms was higher in mothers who did not have a child after losing the first one. In an adjusted model, symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio, OR: 3.37; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.51-7.50), depression (OR: 9.47; 95% CI: 2.58-34.80), PTSD (OR: 5.11; 95% CI: 2.31-11.34) and CG (OR: 10.73; 95% CI: 1.88-61.39) were significantly higher among the 116 women without a subsequent child than among the 110 mothers who had another child after bereavement. More than two thirds of the mothers with new infants had clinically important psychological symptoms. CONCLUSION: Women who have lost an only child in a natural disaster are especially vulnerable to long-term psychological problems, especially if they have reached an age when conception is difficult. Research should focus on developing and evaluating interventions designed to provide women with psychosocial support and reproductive services.
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether having a subsequent child had an effect on the mental health of Chinese mothers who lost a child during an earthquake. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of bereaved mothers was conducted 30 to 34 months after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake using individual structured interviews to assess sociodemographic characteristics, post-disaster experiences and mental health. The interviews incorporated standardized psychometric measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complicated grief (CG). Social support was also assessed. An adjusted model taking potential confounders into account was used to explore any association between psychological symptoms and the birth of a subsequent child. FINDINGS: The prevalence of psychological symptoms was higher in mothers who did not have a child after losing the first one. In an adjusted model, symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio, OR: 3.37; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.51-7.50), depression (OR: 9.47; 95% CI: 2.58-34.80), PTSD (OR: 5.11; 95% CI: 2.31-11.34) and CG (OR: 10.73; 95% CI: 1.88-61.39) were significantly higher among the 116 women without a subsequent child than among the 110 mothers who had another child after bereavement. More than two thirds of the mothers with new infants had clinically important psychological symptoms. CONCLUSION:Women who have lost an only child in a natural disaster are especially vulnerable to long-term psychological problems, especially if they have reached an age when conception is difficult. Research should focus on developing and evaluating interventions designed to provide women with psychosocial support and reproductive services.
Authors: H G Prigerson; P K Maciejewski; C F Reynolds; A J Bierhals; J T Newsom; A Fasiczka; E Frank; J Doman; M Miller Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 1995-11-29 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Ashley Moore; Joris Adriaan Frank van Loenhout; Maria Moitinho de Almeida; Pierre Smith; Debarati Guha-Sapir Journal: Glob Health Action Date: 2020-12-31 Impact factor: 2.640