Sids Counselors' Reports of Own and Parents' Reactions to Reviewing the Autopsy Report

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139
Author(s):  
Jonathan B. Kotch ◽  
Susan R. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ◽  
Infant Death ◽  
Home Visit ◽  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
The North ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Autopsy Report

A survey of newly trained local Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) counselors was undertaken by the North Carolina Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Project to evaluate the use of the autopsy report as a counseling tool. The counselors, most of whom were public health nurses, reported that sharing the autopsy report with bereaved parents was a valuable part of the counseling process. Most parents wanted to see copies of the report. Although not all counselors were comfortable going over the report, there was a significant increase in comfort among counselors whose training included sharing a home visit with an experienced counselor.

Psychological Changes in Parents Eight Months After the Loss of an Infant From Stillbirth, Neonatal Death, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome—A Longitudinal Study

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 933-938
Author(s):  
J. C. Vance ◽  
J. M. Najman ◽  
M. J. Thearle ◽  
G. Embelton ◽  
W. J. Foster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ◽  
Infant Death ◽  
Neonatal Death ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Relative Risks ◽  
Bereaved Parents

Objective. We proposed to measure part of the natural history of grief by determining the changes in the psychological symptoms experienced by bereaved parents over the 8 months after the loss of an infant from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), neonatal death (NND), or stillbirth (SB). Parents were interviewed twice, at 2 and 8 months after the loss. Methodology. A total of 220 bereaved families (45 SIDS, 93 NND, and 82 SB) were compared with 226 control families who had a live born child. Comparison was based on responses to a standardized measure of anxiety and depression (Delusions-Symptoms-States Inventory). Results. For separate cross-sectional comparison at both 2 and 8 months, significant differences were noted in the frequency of maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression between bereaved and control groups (P < .001). Such differences were present for paternal anxiety and depression at 2 months, but not 8 months. A second series of analysis examined longitudinal changes in symptom frequency between 2 and 8 months for each bereaved group. For mothers, the changes were significant for anxiety and depression: SIDS and NND (P < .001), SB (P < .01). For fathers, the changes for anxiety and depression in SIDS were P < .01; NND, P < .05 for anxiety and P < .01 per depression; changes were not significant for SB. At 2 months, relative risks for symptoms of maternal anxiety were significant for all three bereaved groups: SIDS, 22.4; NND, 5.4; and SB, 5.1. Comparable significant figures at 8 months were: SIDS, 5.5; NND, 3.9; and SB, 3.0, respectively. For depression the results for 2 months were: SIDS, 8.6; NND, 5.9; and SB, 6.7 (all significant) while at 8 months the results were: SIDS, 5.1; NND, 3.8; and SB, 2.4 (SB group not significant). For fathers the relevant risks were generally lower. At 2 months, anxiety levels were higher than controls in all three groups, and for depression in the SIDS and SB groups. At 8 months, significant results persisted only in the SB group. Conclusion. These data indicate that bereaved parents have a marked reduction in the symptoms of mental illness over the first 8 months after the loss. Although the changes over time are significant for both mothers and fathers, mothers at 8 months still demonstrated higher levels of anxiety and depression when compared with controls. These levels of symptoms are far less evident for fathers at 8 months.

scholarly journals Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Safe Sleep on Twitter: Analysis of Influences and Themes to Guide Health Promotion Efforts (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly A Pretorius ◽  
Michael Mackert ◽  
Gary B Wilcox
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ◽  
Infant Death ◽  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
False Information ◽  
Safe Sleep ◽  
Infant Loss

BACKGROUND In the United States, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death in infants aged 1 month to 1 year. Approximately 3500 infants die from SIDS and sleep-related reasons on a yearly basis. Unintentional sleep-related deaths and bed sharing, a known risk factor for SIDS, are on the rise. Furthermore, ethnic disparities exist among those most affected by SIDS. Despite public health campaigns, infant mortality persists. Given the popularity of social media, understanding social media conversations around SIDS and safe sleep may assist the medical and public health communities with information needed to spread, reinforce, or counteract false information regarding SIDS and safe sleep. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to investigate the social media conversation around SIDS and safe sleep to understand the possible influences and guide health promotion efforts and public health research as well as enable health professionals to engage in directed communication regarding this topic. METHODS We used textual analytics to identify topics and extract meanings contained in unstructured textual data. Twitter messages were captured during September, October, and November in 2017. Tweets and retweets were collected using NUVI software in conjunction with Twitter’s search API using the keywords: “sids,” “infant death syndrome,” “sudden infant death syndrome,” and “safe sleep.” This returned a total of 41,358 messages, which were analyzed using text mining and social media monitoring software. RESULTS Multiple themes were identified, including recommendations for safe sleep to prevent SIDS, safe sleep devices, the potential causes of SIDS, and how breastfeeding reduces SIDS. Compared with September and November, more personal and specific stories of infant loss were demonstrated in October (Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month). The top influencers were news organizations, universities, and health-related organizations. CONCLUSIONS We identified valuable topics discussed and shared on Twitter regarding SIDS and safe sleep. The study results highlight the contradicting information a subset of the population is exposed to regarding SIDS and the continued controversy over vaccines. In addition, this analysis emphasizes the lack of public health organizations’ presence on Twitter compared with the influence of universities and news media organizations. The results also demonstrate the prevalence of safe sleep products that are embedded in safe sleep messaging. These findings can assist providers in speaking about relevant topics when engaging in conversations about the prevention of SIDS and the promotion of safe sleep. Furthermore, public health agencies and advocates should utilize social media and Twitter to better communicate accurate health information as well as continue to combat the spread of false information.

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