Cr. Pfeffer et al., CHILD SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE - PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(1), 1997, pp. 65-74
Objective: To describe psychosocial characteristics of children and yo
ung adolescents who experienced the recent suicidal death of a parent
or sibling. Method: Sixteen families with children aged 5 years to 14
years and who experienced the suicidal death of a relative on average
within the year of research assessment were recruited from the communi
ty and evaluated with standard research instruments for levels of chil
dren's psychiatric symptoms and social adjustment. Results: Child surv
ivors of suicide had a higher rate of internalizing symptoms and poore
r school adjustment than a standard community sample. Twenty-five perc
ent of the families had children who reported clinically significant s
ymptoms of depression. Approximately 40% of the families included chil
dren who reported at least moderate symptoms of posttraumatic stress.
Approximately 31% of families had at least one child who reported suic
idal ideation, but no child reported a suicide attempt. Significant as
sociations were identified between psychosocial features of the childr
en and parental psychiatric symptoms and stressful life events. Conclu
sion: Child survivors of suicide are at risk for psychiatric symptoms
and social maladjustment which require early identification and preven
tive intervention to minimize risk for more extensive psychosocial mor
bidity.