Losing a child: the impact on parental sexual activity
Keywords:
bereavement, death, child, parents, sexual activityAbstract
AbstractFew studies have been conducted into the impact on parents’ sexual activity following the death of a child. In this study, 285 bereaved parents representing 175 couples completed a questionnaire and ten couples took part in detailed face-to-face interviews. The majority of parents reported reduced frequency of sexual activity, at least initially, although most resumed sexual relations within three months. There were clear gender differences. Women were more likely than men to report reduced sexual activity and loss of sexual desire, primarily linked to feelings of guilt, sadness, depression and exhaustion. A primary reason for recommencing sexual activity was to conceive another child, which could of itself be a cause of complex and mixed feelings. The findings suggest a need for health professionals to pay more attention to these issues when offering structured follow-up to bereaved parents.
References
Christopher, FS and Sprecher, S. 2000. Sexuality in marriage, dating, and other relationships: a decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62: 999–1017.
Dyregrov, A and Gjestad, R. 2011. Sexuality following the loss of a child. Death Studies, 35: 289–315.
Dyregrov, K. 2003. The loss of child by suicide, SIDS, and accidents: consequences, needs and provisions of help. Doctoral dissertation, Bergen: HEMIL, Psykologisk Fakultet, Universitetet i Bergen.
Fish, WC. 1986. “Differences of grief intensity in bereaved parents”. In Parental loss of a child, Edited by: Rando, TA. 415–428. Champaign II: Research Press Company.
Hagemeister, AK and Rosenblatt, PC. 1997. Grief and the sexual relationship of couples who have experienced a child's death. Death Studies, 21: 231–252.
Johnson, S. 1984. Sexual intimacy and replacement children after the death of a child. Omega, 15: 109–118.
Keesee, NJ, Currier, JM and Neimeyer, RA. 2008. Predictors of grief following the death of one's child: the contribution of finding meaning. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 134: 648–661.
Kvale, S. 1996. Interviews: an introduction to qualitative research interviewing, London: Sage Publications.
Lang, A and Gottlieb, L. 1993. Parental grief reactions and marital intimacy following infant death. Death Studies, 17: 233–255.
Lang, A, Gottlieb, LN and Amsel, R. 1996. Predictors of husbands’ and wives’ grief reactions following infant death: the role of marital intimacy. Death Studies, 20: 33–57.
Pacey, S. 2004. Couples and the first baby: responding to new parents’ sexual and relationship problems. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 19: 223–246.
Paykel, ES. 1983. Methodological aspects of life events research. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 27: 341–352.
Schwab, R. 1992. Effects of a child's death on the marital relationship: a preliminary study. Death Studies, 16: 141–154.
Spanier, GB. 1976. Measuring dyadic adjustment: new scales of assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38: 15–28.
Stroebe, MS and Stroebe, W. 1989. Who participates in bereavement research?. A review and empirical study. Omega, 20: 1–29.
