A report by experts at Karolinska Institutet used Swedish and Danish birth registries to analyze more than 6.7 million parents who reported to have children between 1973 and 2016.
Based on the data, it was determined that the loss of a child may have significant negative health effects, including a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk decreases over time, however.
“For many years, Kreicbergs has been studying families who have lost a child,” a news release reads. “Something that affects them both deeply and for a long time.”
“Parents who have lost a child are at a higher risk of mental illness, They sleep badly and they don’t feel well. It is only after seven to nine years that they begin to feel about the same as parents who have not lost a child.”
From the report: “It is our hypothesis that the different psychological and physiological effects of powerful grief covary in an unfortunate way so that the heart-related risks remain elevated for a prolonged period of time.”
The findings of the report can be read by clicking here.
