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How Couples Cope With the Death of a Twin or Higher Order Multiple

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Patricia B. Swanson ,
Robert T. Kane ,
Jillian G. Pearsall-Jones ,
Carl F. Swanson  and
Maxine L. Croft
Patricia B. Swanson
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, Australia.
Robert T. Kane
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, Australia.
Jillian G. Pearsall-Jones
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, Australia; The Center for Cerebral Palsy, Mt Lawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Carl F. Swanson
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, Australia.
Maxine L. Croft*
Affiliation:
Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Research Unit, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, The University of Western Australia, Australia; Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Center for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Australia. [email protected]
*
*Address for correspondence: Maxine L. Croft, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Center for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, PO Box 855, West Perth WA 6872, Australia.

Abstract

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Fifty-two Australian couples who had experienced the death of at least one member of a multiple birth (twin or higher order), with at least one survivor of that birth, were interviewed about their experiences at the time of the death, and since. This study compared parents' coping after the twins' deaths using the Beck Depression Inventory II, Perinatal Grief Scale, and unstructured interviews with some structured queries. Parents provided information on the influence of family, community and medical staff. According to retrospective reports, mothers experienced significantly more depression and grief than fathers at the time of loss. Both parents found the death of their twins grievous, but fathers, unlike mothers, were not encouraged to express their emotions. Although parents generally agreed about what helped them cope, fathers believed that they should be able to cope regardless of their grief. The strength of parents' spiritual beliefs had increased significantly since their loss, and there was some evidence that depressed and grieving mothers turned to spiritual support. Parents whose children died earlier reported levels of depression similar to those reported by parents whose children died later. To date, this is the largest study of grief in couples who have experienced the death of a twin and who have a surviving twin or higher order multiple.

Keywords

twinsbereaved fathersbereaved mothersparental griefchild deathmultiple birthdepressionspiritualityBeck Depression InventoryPerinatal Grief Scale
Type
Articles
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , 01 August 2009 , pp. 392 - 402
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009