TY - JOUR
T1 - Parents’ Acute Illnesses, Hospitalizations, and Medication Changes During the Difficult First Year After Infant or Child NICU/PICU Death
AU - Brooten, Dorothy
AU - Youngblut, Jo Anne M.
AU - Caicedo, Carmen
AU - del Moral, Teresa
AU - Cantwell, G. Patricia
AU - Totapally, Balagangadhar
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: All phases of this study were supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research grant R01 NR009120.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, © The Author(s) 2016.
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Background and Objectives: Infant/child death is described as a most stressful life event; however, there are few reports of effects on parent physical health during the first year after the death. The study’s purpose is to examine the patterns of parent acute illnesses, hospitalizations, and medication changes over 1 to 13 months after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) infant/child death in 3 racial/ethnic groups. Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted with longitudinal data on parent health and functioning 1 to 13 months after infant/child NICU/PICU death. Parents (176 mothers, 73 fathers; 44% Hispanic, 35% black non-Hispanic, and 21% white non-Hispanic) of deceased infants/children were recruited from 4 children’s hospitals and state death records. Inclusion criteria—parents understood English or Spanish and had a deceased neonate/child ≤ 18. Exclusion criteria—deceased newborn from multiple gestation pregnancy, child in foster care, child’s injury due to suspected abuse, or parent death in illness/injury event. Parents reported numbers and types of acute illnesses, hospitalizations, and medication changes 1 to 13 months postdeath. Results: Parents’ acute illnesses, hospitalizations, and medication changes were greatest between months 1 and 6, with relative quiescence in months 7 to 10, and an increase in months 11 to 13. Mothers (aged 32 ± 7.8 years) reported 300 acute illnesses (primarily colds/flu, headaches, anxiety/depression, and infections) and 89 hospitalizations (primarily infections, chest pain, and gastrointestinal problems). Fathers (aged 37 ± 8.8 years) reported 104 acute illnesses (colds/flu and headaches) and 9 hospitalizations. Conclusion: After infant/child NICU/PICU death, mothers had greater morbidity than fathers, with no significant differences by race/ethnicity. Parents’ health needs to be monitored in months 1 to 6 and months 11 to 13, and interventions targeted to parents in these months.
AB - Background and Objectives: Infant/child death is described as a most stressful life event; however, there are few reports of effects on parent physical health during the first year after the death. The study’s purpose is to examine the patterns of parent acute illnesses, hospitalizations, and medication changes over 1 to 13 months after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) infant/child death in 3 racial/ethnic groups. Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted with longitudinal data on parent health and functioning 1 to 13 months after infant/child NICU/PICU death. Parents (176 mothers, 73 fathers; 44% Hispanic, 35% black non-Hispanic, and 21% white non-Hispanic) of deceased infants/children were recruited from 4 children’s hospitals and state death records. Inclusion criteria—parents understood English or Spanish and had a deceased neonate/child ≤ 18. Exclusion criteria—deceased newborn from multiple gestation pregnancy, child in foster care, child’s injury due to suspected abuse, or parent death in illness/injury event. Parents reported numbers and types of acute illnesses, hospitalizations, and medication changes 1 to 13 months postdeath. Results: Parents’ acute illnesses, hospitalizations, and medication changes were greatest between months 1 and 6, with relative quiescence in months 7 to 10, and an increase in months 11 to 13. Mothers (aged 32 ± 7.8 years) reported 300 acute illnesses (primarily colds/flu, headaches, anxiety/depression, and infections) and 89 hospitalizations (primarily infections, chest pain, and gastrointestinal problems). Fathers (aged 37 ± 8.8 years) reported 104 acute illnesses (colds/flu and headaches) and 9 hospitalizations. Conclusion: After infant/child NICU/PICU death, mothers had greater morbidity than fathers, with no significant differences by race/ethnicity. Parents’ health needs to be monitored in months 1 to 6 and months 11 to 13, and interventions targeted to parents in these months.
KW - NICU death
KW - PICU death
KW - bereaved parents
KW - child death
KW - infant death
KW - parents’ acute illnesses
KW - parents’ hospitalizations
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U2 - 10.1177/1049909116678597
DO - 10.1177/1049909116678597
M3 - Article
C2 - 27852818
AN - SCOPUS:85035141408
VL - 35
SP - 75
EP - 82
JO - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
JF - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
SN - 1049-9091
IS - 1
ER -