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The Impact of Parental Suicide on Child and Adolescent Offspring
Author(s) -
Kuramoto S. Janet,
Brent David A.,
Wilcox Holly C.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1521/suli.2009.39.2.137
Subject(s) - psychosocial , suicide prevention , poison control , offspring , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , occupational safety and health , mental health , psychiatry , medicine , psychology , clinical psychology , medical emergency , pregnancy , pathology , biology , genetics
Child and adolescent survivors of parental suicide experience two stressful events simultaneously: (1) the loss of a primary caregiver, and (2) suicidal death of a significant person. These youths are thought to be at increased risk for mental health problems, but a systematic review of studies on these survivors has not yet been conducted. A comprehensive search for published literature identified nine studies. The existent studies provided modest yet inconsistent evidence on the impact of parental suicide on offspring psychiatric and psychosocial outcomes. More methodologically rigorous research is needed to inform and guide postvention efforts for these survivors.