Study Garners National Attention

Study of Bereaved Children Garners National Attention

In the first longitudinal study of its kind, Dr. Nadine Melhem, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and her colleagues have found that 40 percent of children bereaved by sudden parental death will require intervention to prevent prolonged grief reaction and possible depression. The results of the study appear in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry and have been featured in articles appearing in U.S. News & World Report and CBS News HealthWatch online.

"The death of a parent is consistently rated as one of the most stressful events a child can experience; however, little is known about the course of grief and its effects on children,? said Dr. Melhem, ?With our research, we are hoping to gain greater understanding of grief reactions so that we can better design treatments to relieve the burden of grief in bereaved children."