Having more brothers and sisters may make it easier to cope with the death of a parent, in midlife, particularly when it’s the mother who dies, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Fewer mental health drugs are bought by those with more siblings, especially women, in the aftermath of a parental death, the findings show.
The death of a parent is traumatic for young children and teens, but there’s little evidence on the emotional impact of parental death on adults, even though middle or older age is often when people have to face this, explain the researchers.
While various factors may influence the grieving process and its effect on mental health, not much is known about the potential impact of facing parental death with brothers and sisters, they…