Ej. Bruce et al., A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF THE GRIEF OF MOTHERS AND FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, British Journal of Medical Psychology, 69, 1996, pp. 33-45
As a follow-up to a single-point-in-time study which suggested support
for the proposition that grieving is an ongoing feature of parenting
children with intellectual disability, the present investigation repor
ts findings based on annual interviews conducted over a three-year per
iod. Longitudinal outcomes on measures used to define grief largely co
nfirmed the original findings. Of particular interest were (a) indicat
ions of the presence of grief over time (b) the finding that the 49 mo
thers and 49 fathers report similar intensity of continued wishing for
what might have been, and (c) the conclusion that the responses of th
e mothers on the Impact of Event Scale and to current levels of distre
ss when thinking about time of diagnoses are significantly more intens
e than those of the fathers. Attention is drawn to patterns emerging f
rom gender-related differences. Resulted are discussed within the fram
ework of four mandates for research and practice, with particular refe
rence to psyche-educational support through groupwork.