TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effect of parental bereavement on health risk behaviors in youth: A 3-year follow-up
AU  - Hamdan S, Mazariegos D, Melhem NM, Porta G, Walker Payne M, Brent DA
Y1  - 2012/03/01
N1  - 10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.682
JO  - Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
SP  - 216
EP  - 223
VL  - 166
IS  - 3
N2  - Objective 
                  To examine the course of health risk behaviors (HRBs) during a 3-year period after a parent's death in bereaved youth compared with nonbereaved youth (control subjects).Design 
                  A longitudinal population-based study.Setting 
                  Bereaved families were recruited through coroner records and by advertisement. Control families were recruited using random-digit dialing and by advertisement.Participants 
                  Two hundred forty parentally bereaved offspring were compared with 183 nonbereaved control offspring.Main Exposure 
                  Sudden parental death due to accident, suicide, or sudden disease-related (natural) death.Main Outcome Measures 
                  The sum of the total number of HRBs at a clinically significant frequency threshold assessed 9, 21, and 33 months after the parent's death.Results 
                  The bereaved group showed a higher number of HRBs over time compared with the nonbereaved group (univariate effect sizes, 0.22-0.52; P < .04), even after taking into account correlates of bereavement and of HRBs, such as youth aggression, as well as antisocial and anxiety disorders of the deceased parent.Conclusions 
                  Parental bereavement is associated with higher HRBs in youth over time, even after controlling for other covariates associated with bereavement and HRBs. Clinicians should be aware that bereaved youth may be vulnerable to HRBs. Further work is warranted on interventions to attenuate the negative effect of bereavement on HRBs.
SN  - 1072-4710
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.682
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.682
ER  -