Grieving Parents More Likely To Die Early [Study]

Parents who are grieving the loss of a child before their first birthday are likely to die at an earlier age according to researchers at York and Stirling universities.

According to the study grieving parents are four times more likely to die within 10 years of their child’s death while similar studies have also show the same type of results with one studying specifically stating that parents were dying of a “broken heart.”

In their report, published in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, UK parents were studied and the projects authors say they found reason for “major concern” with more research needing to be conducted.

The study unfortunately did not analyze deaths caused by suicide or stress related issues.

In the report researchers note:

“The stress of bereavement may involve significant physiological effects – for example suppressing the immune system thereby increasing one’s propensity to disease.”

Researchers also found that while the risk of premature death lessened over time, mother’s continued to be 1.2 times more likely to die 30 years after the death of a baby.

Stress has long been known to be a contributing factor to many illnesses, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that premature death is a possibility.

Do you believe that parents can literally die of a “broken heart” or is that just the easiest way researchers can say they aren’t sure of the cause of death?