ROLE OF SECONDARY STRESSORS IN THE PARENTAL DEATH CHILD DISTRESS RELATION

This study examined the psychological consequences and secondary stres sors associated with death of a parent. The sample (N = 116) consisted of 26 youths who had lost a parent to homicide, 45 youths who had los t a parent to natural death, and 45 nonbereaved youths. Youngsters com pleted face-to-face interviews, while their guardians completed measur es assessing the children's functioning. Results based on both child a nd guardian reports indicated that parental death was associated with an increase in secondary stressors, regardless of the mode of death. F indings based on guardian reports also revealed that parental death wa s related to increased internalizing distress, and that parental death due to homicide was related to increased externalizing distress. Furt hermore, secondary stressors mediated the parental death-child distres s relation such that parental death led to an increase in stressors, w hich in turn led to increased child distress. Implications for seconda ry and tertiary preventive interventions are discussed.