COPING WITH SIDS IN PARTNERSHIP, FAMILY A ND SELF-HELP GROUP

Background: The paper focuses on the issues, how couples cope with SID S and how this can be facilitated by subsequent children, self-help an d professional support. Methods: In a retrospective study, 60 couples, members of a self-help organization, were studied at the average of 5 years (2-215 months) after their loss. Depression, anxiety, physical complaints and grief were assessed by standardized questionnaires. A c ommunity sample of equal size of men and women of the same age were us ed as controls. Results: Average scores of depression and physical com plaints were elevated compared to the community sample. Men and women coped differently with the loss: Bereft mothers were more depressed an d ruminated more about cause and preventability of the death than fath ers. They expressed their grief more openly and found it more helpful to speak about their loss. The presence of subsequent children was of prime importance for coping with the loss; an early subsequent pregnan cy was fraught with increased anxiety. Conclusions: The self-help grou p serves an important function as a coping resource; the pediatrician plays a key role in the psychosocial care of the afflicted families.