Children's fears 2-13 months after sibling NICU/PICU/emergency department death.
Rosa M Roche, Dorothy Brooten, JoAnne M Youngblut
PMID 30829977WHAT IT FOUND
Children whose sibling died reported many fears, especially fear of being left alone, dark places, strangers, bugs, animals, and medical examinations.
Fears were most often reported at 4 and 6 months. Girls reported more fears than boys, while boys feared violent situations.
Key findings
01Most fears reported by children were reality-based, with daily situations (39%), bugs (23%), animals (19%), and medical examinations (15%) as the top reality fears.
02More children reported fears at 4 months (110 children) and 6 months (103 children), and reality fears were highest at those times.
03Girls reported more total fears (745) and a higher average number of fears (mean = 13.3) than boys (457; mean = 6.01), while boys reported more fears of violent situations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study described children's fears but did not test any intervention, so it cannot show what reduces fear or helps bereaved children. Children may have underreported fears in the open-ended questions because they were not prompted with specific fears. The sample was 132 bereaved siblings in South Florida, with 39% of families having annual incomes below $20,000, mostly Black non-Hispanic or Hispanic parents, and 92% two-parent families, so results may not fit other settings, younger children, or families with different backgrounds. Children younger than 6 years were not included, and children who could not participate verbally, were in foster care, or had additional family deaths in the same event were excluded. Fear data came from a short fears subscale and two open-ended questions, not a full diagnostic assessment of anxiety or grief.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as showing that bereavement care or nurse practitioner guidance reduces fears. The study described children's self-reported fears after a sibling death and did not test any intervention.