Adult Depression by the Loss of a Child and Moving Forward

Executive Summary

Life is one of the most precious things in life and its loss leads to depression to the family members of the deceased. Out of all the members of the family, the death of a child is considered the most depressing because children are always the center of attraction in a family. The death of a child results in grief like no other, this grief can last a lifetime. Parents need to be continuously comforted because the loss of their child is like the loss of their future. Every parent has planned the future for their child and when this future is destroyed, all hope is lost. No matter how depressed the parents are, they would eventually have to move forward in life and keep aside the grief that haunts them.

Executive Summaryii

Introduction1

Discussion1

Parental Grief2

Characteristics of Parental Grief3

Sudden Death3

Level of Grief4

Difference in Feelings between Fathers and Mothers5

Timing the Grief Reactions6

Maintaining the Marriage6

Life after the Death of a Child7

Keeping Emotions under Control7

Remembering Happy Moments8

One Step at a Time8

Moving Forward After the Death of a Child9

Parents need to get over the Death of their child9

Grief Spirals like a Roller Coaster10

Grief cannot be escaped10

Taking Support from Religion11

Constant support from others11

Ways by which Grief should never be reduced12

Conclusion12

References14

Adult Depression by the Loss of a Child and Moving Forward

Introduction

Those who have lost a child, spouse, and parent will always say that the grief of losing a child is much more than losing any other relative. The pain after losing a child cannot be measured because of its intensity (Cornwell, Nurcombe & Stevens, 1977).

When it comes to the death of children, younger children have a higher mortality rate. The death of younger children leads to less grief because the parents may have not yet developed a strong relation with them. The grief felt when an older child dies is a bit less because the parents have developed a strong relationship with them and they have memories to keep them fresh. According to Hindmarch (2009), “In terms of adjustment, parents of older children have the benefit of more positive memories to draw on”. This type of grief is complex, long-lasting, and intense. By this time, the parents have also invested a lot of time, money, and energy on their child due to which the grief is the greatest compared to the loss of any other individual in the family (Kreicbergs, Valdimarsdottir, Onelov, et al, 2004). This paper discusses the grief faced by parents due to the death of parents and identifies ways by which parents should move forward.

Discussion

There are several factors that have to be taken into account when studying the grief felt by parents when their child dies. Based on the characteristics, these factors can be categorized into five groups: sudden death, prenatal loss, death due to illness, congenital conditions, and socially difficult death.

Parents do not expect their children to die. They expect them to study, grow up, work, get married, and eventually take care of their ...