There are many times in a person’s life that something unnatural happens. For parents, it could be the devastating and emotional blow of having to deal with the passing of their child. From this loss arises many other complicated problems, particularly struggling with complicated grief.

1. Understanding Complicated
Grief: Prolonged Mourning
Among Parents
Center for Hospice Care

2. There are many times in a person’s life that something unnatural happens. For parents, it could be the
devastating and emotional blow of having to deal with the passing of their child. From this loss arises
many other complicated problems, particularly struggling with complicated grief.
Digging Deeper into Complicated Grief
Sometimes called persistent bereavement disorder, complicated grief occurs when a person’s mourning
does not improve even after a long time, usually longer than six months. According to Psychology Today,
approximately 10 to 20 percent of mourning people have severe reactions to loss that could result in
complicated grief and require treatment and medication.

3. Crying, unhealthy eating habits and irregular sleeping patterns or insomnia are all signs of both normal
and complicated grief. The difference is that in normal mourning, the painful emotions fade away over
time. In complicated grief, a person’s state only worsens. Psychology Today states that pre-existing
mental health conditions and multiple stressors increase the likelihood of persistent bereavement
disorder. Complicated grievers may experience extreme levels of purposelessness, bitterness, emotional
unavailability, and denial of the death of a loved one.
Since complicated grievers refuse to accept the loss of a loved one, they tend to become overly attached
to the deceased person – they create shrines, talk about their loved one constantly, and obsessively look
at the pictures of the deceased.

4. Complicated grief is especially different for mourning parents, as the parent-child bond is an integral
part of a parent’s identity. According to the study “When Children Die: Improving Palliative and End-
of-Life-Care for Children and Their Families,” guilt and self-blame, while common in all kinds of grief,
are highly pronounced in a mourning parent. Following the loss of a child, a parent may even lose their
sense of self-competence, says the study.
Grief is a natural part of living; everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. However, for
parents, it’s not natural to deal with the loss of a child. Their bond and attachment with their child are
parts of, and at times reasons for, their existence. Because of this, outliving a child may result in
prolonged sorrow for the grieving parents.

5. Sources:
https://www.cfhcare.org/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220798/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/complicated-grief/symptoms-causes/syc-20360374
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/get-hardy/201309/about-complicated-bereavement-
disorder-0