Effects of Parental Death

The Effects of P atomic number 18ntal destruction and its causes On Their Childrens Behaviors. By Tameka L. Flynt A paper presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements of CST 5006 Survey of look into Methodology Capella University May 2010 Address P. O. Box 1987 Griffin, GA 30223 scream 678-588-9932 Email email&160protected com Instructor Trent Nguyen Abstract The affair of this battlefield is to re come across publications think to the personal effects of rebootal devastation on s cast offrren. Children who intimacy the termination of a arouse is considered an at find population for psychological, behavioral, and neighborly problems.thither ar many concomitantors relating to the sort electric razorren adjust to paternal oddment. Some of these factors let in the age of the squirt, the gender of the child, the circle surrounding the finish (accidental, pass judgment, or ruddy finis), the limiting of the living(a) autoegiver, etc. Children who ge t wind the accidental or cherry-red goal of a rise up are more at risk to break off psychological problems, much(prenominal) as impression and post-traumatic tenseness perturbation, than those children who acquaintance the expected end of a upgrade. T suitable of Contents Abstract2 Table of Contents3 Introduction4 The bidding of the Problem5Review of Literature5 Qualitative inquiry5 Quantitative Research9 Conclusion14 Annotated Bibliography15 Introduction Four percent of youth in the unite States lose at least one nurture by age fifteen (Samide & adenine adenylic acid Stockton, 2002). The Death of a evoke is a major and devastating event for a child. It can tint a childs psychological and social instruction, which can accept to low gear academic performance and behavior problems. Everyday someone dies whether its from a fulminant last such(prenominal) as a car accident, a inhering disaster, and violence or an expected closing such as long term illnesses.Many p eople that die provoke at least one child that live in the home downstairs the age of eighteen. Understanding how the children are locomoteed by advanceal ending is important for developing effective prevention and interventions strategies that can be utilise by children counselors, social workers, and give lessons counselors. Studies have been done to understand how these children are equaled yet there is room for further research. The Research questions that manoeuvre this research for the review of literature include 1. Does the cause of death have a divers(prenominal) effect on the way children grieve or adjust to life without their call forth? . What are the most mutual problems children bes later on the death of a kindle? 3. How are children falled by maternal death? 4. What are the needs of children who eff leavenal death? The assertion of the Problem This research proposes to identify the disagreeent effects nurtureal death has on children and the fact ors (cause of death, age of child, gender of child, gender of surviving advance, etc) that relates to the alteration of the child to the death of a farm. Review of Literature Qualitative ResearchHope and Hate (2006) performed a qualitative accept to explore the factors that affect childrens margin to the death of a parent. The authors of this study reviewed literature and institute that many factors contribute to the way children adjust to parental death. Previous research shows that children experience excruciation related to the pass of a parent. Factor that affect the way a child adjust includes the age of the child, the sex of the child, circumstances of death, relationship to the dead soul parent, try-on to the remaining caregiver, & ampamp participation in post death rituals such as funerals.Other studies have comparisond the adjustment of children who have broken a parent to suicide to those who have lost a parent to last illness. Hope and Hodge (2006) conducted this study to obtain insight from social workers who work with puerility grief. They interviewed five social workers asking questions related to the adjustment of children who lost a parent. They focused on the age of children, the sex of children, the circumstances of death ( jerky or expected), and adjustment of the current caretaker. They focused on these factors because they piece that these were the most common studied but the findings are the most contradictory.After interviewing the social workers Hope and Hodge (2006) ensnare that they had observed similar patterns regarding the factors that affect the adjustment of children who lost a parent to death. Boys tend to show externalizing behaviors whereas girls tend to show internalizing behaviors due to the lost of a parent. They found that the cognitive level rather than the age of the child affects their adjustment more. Therefore younger children and preadolescents seem to have more difficulty adjusting to the death of a parent than adolescents.The results did not apply earlier findings that fulminant death present more difficulty adjusting than expected death. Most of the participants describe that sudden and expected death is equ only ify traumatic to children. The participants overly said that the adjustment of the caretaker is important for a positive adjustment for the children. The caretaker must be able to grieve while supporting the childs need to grieve. This study shows that children of different ages and genders react different to the death of a parent. The authors of this study read to perform a qualitative study because of the venial number of participants.The specimen was collected purpose practicedy to focus on what social workers go through when functional with bereaved children. The methods used in this study limits generalizability. The participants all live in the same are of Virginia, thus it is questionable if the results would be the same all over the country. It a like focused on one culture so the results can be different with other cultures the authors also realized that the interviews whitethorn have been biased because of the answers that were given and the styles and opinions of the interviewer.Through this study social workers can get along a better understanding of how children adjust to the death of a parent so they can develop intervention strategies when working with these families. Children who witness the homicide of a parent are becoming more common in the United States today. There is very little research done that evaluates the children afterward(prenominal) such a traumatic event. Eth, Spencer, Pynoos, &amp Robert (1994) conducted a qualitative study where they performed a psychiatric evaluation of children who witness the homicide of a parent. They interviewed 55 children and adolescents among the ages of 3 to 17 in Los Angeles.They interviewed children from hours to weeks after the homicide to study the childs immed iate response. They also interviewed children who had witness the homicide years earlier to study the go along impact of the event. The purpose of this study is to contribute to our understanding of the nature of childs experience of trauma, the influence of development phase on symptoms expression, and the interaction of grief and trauma (Eth, Spencer, Pynoos, &amp Robert, 1994). The results of the interviews indicate that children who witness the blood-red death of parent results in a variety of juvenile post-traumatic stress.The interviews also suggest that the developmental phase of the child influences the development of post-traumatic stress. These interviews suggest that witnessing a homicide impairs the childs ability to grieve because they tend to focus on the mode of death which disrupts thoughts about the deceased. The ideal in this study is small so it only represents a small population. The limitations also include the fact that the study was only performed in a specific community therefrom it limits the generalizability of the study.The sample was selected purposefully because they chose to focus only on children who witness the homicide of a parent. Eppler (2008) performed a study to explore the themes of resiliency in children after the death of a parent. After the death of a parent many children experience difficulty grieving. They may experience feelings such as shock, guilt, and anger. They may scold out at their peers for a topic other than death. Eppler (2008) reviewed several literature related to bereaved children and their experiences. He found that children who experienced the lost of a parent display pass up levels of self esteem and self efficacy.The purpose of this study was to explore qualities of resiliency in children. The research question that manoeuvre this study was What resilience factors are identifiable in the stories of grieving children? (Eppler, 2008). The sample included 12 bereaved children who loss a par ent at bottom the past 36 months. The children were between the ages of 9 and 12 years old. There were 7 female and 5 male participants. The sample was collected purposefully to broaden the understanding of children who experience grief. The participants were individually interviewed after gaining the parents or guardians written consent.The children were asked questions related to life out front the death, how they found out about the death, their current situations, and what they thought would happen in the future. They were asked to write their stories after answering the questions. The author analyzed the data by reading and rereading the transcripts, notes, and stories. He also increased validity by this instant quoting the participants. Eppler (2008) found that sadness was the dominate theme reported when a parent dies. The children in this study also reported that they see themselves as happy, nice, helpful, normal, and fun.Most of the children reported that they had suppo rt from immediate family, extended family, school, and some peers. Children that reported a full range of emotions and a support system did not seem to focus on sadness, fear, anger, and isolation. Limitations of this study include that children from one developmental age conclave participated in the study. There should be studies done to examine resilient factors in adolescents and younger children. This study is also not generalizable to other ethnic groups because the bulk of the sample was whiteness. There was one participant who was African American.It is important that other studies be done to include other ethnic groups. Quantitative Research Children who experience the death of a parent may have problems adjusting to the modernistic lifestyle. They tend to develop psychological and social problems. Children who experience the death of parent through accidental or sudden death may experience depression symptoms and post-traumatic stress inconvenience. A longitudinal study conducted by Brent, Melhem, Donohoe, pram (2009) examined the effects of grief on children 21 months after parental death. A previous study was conducted by them nine months after the death of a parent.The questions that control this study is 1) what are the predictors and pathways of depression and post traumatic stress disorder in parentally bereaved children and 2) does children of parents who died of suicide, accidents, or sudden natural death show a difference in the incidence and course of depression. Brent, Melhem, Donohoe, &amp Walker (2009) hypothesized that youth who lost a parent to death would continue to show a high preponderance and symptom severity of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than non bereaved children 21 months after the death of a parent.They also hypothesized that children who parents died by suicide would show higher(prenominal)(prenominal) preponderance of depression and that predictors would include stressful life events, negative cop ing, low social support, and prior hi fable of depression. The sample consisted of 176 children of parents who died by suicide, accident, or sudden natural death and 168 children of parents who both are still alive. The participants were recruited through coroners reports and newspaper advertisements. The participants were interviewed two times, once at nine months after the death and once at 21 months after the death.They were assessed on socioeconomic status and household income, psychiatric disorders, experiences surrounding the death, severity of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and self-destructive ideation, and family cohesion, social support, coping, and self-esteem. The results supported the venture that parentally bereave children would show a higher prevalence of depression and post traumatic stress disorder than non-bereaved children. Children whose parents died by suicide and accidents showed a higher rate of major depression than the comparison grou p (Brent, Melhem, Donohoe, Walker, 2009).They found that the incidence of PTSD was higher in the bereaved group than the comparison groups during the first nine months but not during the 21 month follow up. The rate of incident depression was higher in the children who lost a parent to suicide than in those who lost a parent to sudden natural death which supports the second hypothesis made by the authors. unmatchable limitation of the study is that the majority of the subjects is Caucasic and does not include homicides therefore it limits the generalizability.Although the participants were randomly selected the Hawthorne effect could have took place. Participants that knew they are a part of a study could have act differently. A study conducted by Raveis, Siegel, &amp Karus (1998) conducted a study to examine the potential predictors of childrens psychosocial adjustment to parental death. The predictors examined include the childs age, childs gender, deceased parent gender, tim e since death, length of illness, forepart of siblings, and parental communication. The authors reviewed literature related to bereaved children.They found that younger children and those in early adolescence appear to have short adjustment to parental death. They also found some controversy regarding the childs gender. Ravels, Siegal, &amp Karus, (1998) stated that some studies reported that girls are more vulnerable to poor adjustment following the death of a parent where other studies found that boys are more vulnerable to poor adjustment. One study found no difference in gender at all and another(prenominal) study found that the deceased parent gender may affect the way they adjust.The sample used in this study consisted of 83 families with school age children whose parent died of cancer. They conducted interviews with the surviving parent and the child. They also had the child of the deceased parent to complete the Childrens Depression store (CDI) and the State-Trait Anxi ety neckcloth for Youths (STAIY) if they were 12 years or older or the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) if they were 11 years or younger. The results of this study suggested that the bereaved children whose surviving parent have an open level of communication have a lower level of distress.The gender of the child correlated with depression with girls insurance coverage higher levels of symptom than boys. Anxiety correlated with the age of the child with older children reporting lower levels of anxiety than younger children. One limitation of this study is that it is solely relying on the answers provided by the surviving parent and the children which can become unreliable. similarly the families participating in the study is predominantly White and middle or upper class. The socioeconomic factors may affect the childrens adjustment touch on differently.The last limitation is that the deceased parent died due to cancer. Other causes of death such as accidents, h omicides, or other natural illness may yield different results. McClatchy, Vonk, &amp Palardy, (2009) conducted a study to evaluated the prevalence of childhood traumatic grief and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in children who have lost a parent to death. They compared the results of children who lost a parent to sudden/violent death to those who lost a parent to expected death.The questions that guided this research are 1) Do children who experience an expected death of a parent suffer from Childhood Traumatic distress (CTG) to the same close as those children who lose a parent to a sudden or violent death, 2) Do children who experience an expected death of a parent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) symptoms to the same extent as those children who lose a parent to a sudden and/or violent death, and 3) To what extent do parentally bereaved children experience CTG and PTSD symptoms. The sample used in this study consisted of 158 parentally bereaved ch ildren ages 7-16.The children completed the University of California at Los Angeles Post-Traumatic strain Disorder Reaction Index for DSM-IV to measure PTSD symptoms and the Extended Grief Inventory (EGI) to measure CTG symptoms. The results of this study showed that the incidence of PTSD and CTG was not different in children who had experienced an expected loss of a parent compared to those who had experienced a violent or sudden death (McClatchy, Vonk, &amp Palardy, 2009). Children who experience both expected and unexpected losses showed signs of PTSD and CTG symptoms. African American children exhibit CTG symptoms at a higher degree than White children.This study suggested that elementary school children have higher CTG symptoms than older children. One limitation is that of generalizability because a purposive sample was used. The sample was recruited from bereavement camps therefore it is likely that those parents who were having more issues with their bereaved child were most likely to cash register their children up for bereavement camp. Another limitation includes the measurement tool. The EGI is a fresh developed instrument and its psychometric properties have not been fully investigated (McClatchy, Vonk, &amp Palardy, 2009). ConclusionUnderstanding how children are affected by the death of a parent in essential to those professionals who work with children. Studies have shown that children are indeed affected by the loss of a parent whether it is a sudden death or expected death. Depression symptoms and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms are the most common problems that parentally bereaved children experience. They also experience behavioral problems such as aggression, acting out, lashing out at others, etc. These problems can result in academic problems in school. maternal death not only has immediate effects on children but long term effects as well.There are many factors that affect the way children adjust to parental death inclu ding age, gender, adjustment of surviving parent, circumstances of death, etc, professionals working with children needs to understand that all children react different to parental death so the needs of the children are different. Overall children need to be allowed to grieve in their own way, they need to be able to leave with the surviving parent about the death, and they need support from others beside family because family members are usually tending to their own grief.The needs of children who experience parental death are important for those professional to develop prevention and intervention strategies to eliminate the development of emotional and social problems. Therefore further researcher is important to develop a better understanding of parentally bereaved children. Annotated Bibliography Ayyash-Abdo, H. (2001). Childhood visitation What School Psychologists Need to Know. School Psychology International , 27 (4), 417-433. This denomination is a review of literature o n childrens conception of death, factors influencing the conceptions of death, and reactions to the death of a parent.This clause also provides intervention strategies including play therapy, bibliotherapy, and group therapy for school counselors to put on when working with bereaved children. Brent, D. , Methem, N. , Donohoe, M. B. , amp Walker, M. (2009). The Incidence and Course of Depression in Bereaved Youth 21 Months After the Loss of a set up to Sucide, Accident, or Sudden Death. The American Journal of psychiatry , 166 (7), 786-794. This study was performed to compare the incidence and course of depression between those children who lost a parent to suicide, accident, or sudden natural death.One hundred and twenty six children, ages 7-26, who experienced the death of a parent and 168 non-bereaved children were the participants in this study. Children who loss a parent to death were more vulnerable to depression and alcohol or shopping mall abuse. Eppler, C. (2008). Explor ing themes of Resiliency in Children Affte the Death of a Parent. Professional School hash out , 11 (3), 189-196. This is a qualitative study to explore how quickly children restore after the death of a parent. Twelve children, who experienced the death of parent in the past 36 months was interviewed while the sessions were recorded.They also were asked to write story about the death of their parent. Sadness was a theme that was reported by all the participants. They also had a range of emotions. Children who have helpful support systems does not focus on sadness or anger but see themselves as happy and normal. Eth, Spencer, Pynoos, amp Robert. (1994). Children Who Witness the Homicide of a Parent. Psychiatry , 57 (4), 287. This article is a qualitative study that evaluated children who witness the homicide of a parent. Fifty-five children and adolescents were interviewed.This study showed that children who witness the death of a parent results in posttraumatic stress disorder sym ptoms. It also showed that the developmental phase of the child effects the PTSD symptoms found in these children. Hope, R. M. , amp Hodge, D. M. (2006). Factors Affecting Childrens Adjustment to the Death of a Parent The neighborly Work Professionals Viewpoint. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal , 23 (1), 107. This qualitative study was performed to explore the factors that affect childrens adjustment to the death of a parent.The authors interviewed professional social workers with 11/2 to 22 years of experience working with bereaved children. Age, gender, circumstances of the death, and the adjustment of the caregiver are the factors that was explored. The social workers interviewed had similar observations regarding the factors that affect the adjustments of children who experience the loss of a parent. McClatchy, I. S. , Vonk, M. E. , &amp Palady, G. (2009). The Prevalence of Childhood Traumatic Grief- A Comparison of Violent/Sudden and Expeted Loss. Omega , 59 (4), 30 5-323.This study compared the prevalence of childhood traumatic grief and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms of those children who lost a parent to violent/sudden death and those children who expected the loss of a parent. There were 158 children that participated in the study. Sixty-three children lost a parent to expected death and 60 percent of the children lost a parent to a sudden or violent death. The incidence of CTG and PTSD did not differ in children who experienced sudden/violent loss of a parent from those who experienced an expected loss. Ravels, V. , Siegal, K. , &amp Karus, D. (1999).Childrens Psychological Distress undermentioned the Death of a Parent. Journal of Youth and Adolescence , 28 (2), 165. This article focused on the families with children who had a parent die of cancer. The children psychological distress was examined in this article. The authors of this article focused on the attributes of the family environment and what role it plays in the distre ss of the child. Another factor is the circumstances surrounding the death of the parent. Eighty-three families participated in this study. The level of distress in the bereaved child was found to be affected by the way the child perceives the surviving parent.Saldinger, A. , Cain, A. , Kalter, N. , amp Lohanes, K. (1999). Anticipating enatic Death in Families with Young Children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry , 69 (1), 39-48. This article focused on the children who are losing a parent to illness and the friendship of mental health outcomes of these children. The sample included 41 families. The authors of the article interviewed the surviving parent and gave the children self repots to complete. Anticipating the death was associated with better mental outcomes that sudden death according to the authors.