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Prolonged grief, PTSD common after sudden cardiac death of young relative

Prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress symptoms were reported among approximately half of family members following sudden cardiac death of a relative.

To assess posttraumatic stress and prolonged grief after sudden cardiac death of a young relative, Jodie Ingles, GradDipGenCouns, PhD, MPH, of Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues evaluated 103 adults from 57 families who had a first-degree relative aged 45 years or younger die suddenly of a genetic heart disease or unknown cause without a premorbid diagnosis. Participants completed the 36-item Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form, version 2 (SF-36v2), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Prolonged Grief Disorder scale.

Approximately 20% of study participants reported prolonged grief, with a mean time since death of 5 years.

Prolonged grief was more commonly reported among mothers of the deceased (35.7%) and witnesses to the death (41.7%).

Posttraumatic stress symptoms were reported by 44% of adults, with higher proportions among mothers of the deceased (59.4%) and witnesses to the death (66.7%).

Study participants reported more severe depression (P < .001), anxiety (P < .001) and stress (P = .004), compared with the general population.

Witnessing the death was significantly associated with prolonged grief and posttraumatic symptoms when adjusting for family clustering, maternal relationship and time since death.

Sixteen study participants reported both prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress symptoms. These individuals were more likely to have witnessed the death (P < .001), be the mother of the deceased (P = .02), report lower mean mental component scores on the SF-36v2 (P = .003), and have higher DASS-21 scores for depression (P = .009), anxiety (P = .005) and stress (P = .008).

“Our study shows that almost 1 in 2 family members reported significant psychological difficulties, particularly [prolonged grief] and [posttraumatic stress] symptoms, and suggests that all families of a young person who experiences [sudden cardiac death] receive additional support. Both [prolonged grief] and [posttraumatic stress] are associated with poor health outcomes, and there is extensive evidence for the efficacy of psychological treatments for persons in need of intervention for these conditions,” the researchers wrote. “We suggest that specialized input from a clinical psychologist who can triage ongoing treatment needs is critical in the multidisciplinary clinic setting.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.