Childhood parental death is associated with poorer school performance, and those who experience this loss may benefit from support that could prevent future adverse outcomes, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
“Losing a parent in childhood is highly stressful,” Can Liu, MD, PhD, of the department of public health sciences at Stockholm University, and colleagues wrote. “Some bereaved children may develop complicated grief and posttraumatic stress, low stress resilience, long-lasting depressive symptoms, a sense of meaninglessness and high-risk behaviors