Abstract
Objectives: We investigated whether the self-system belief of fear of abandonment mediated the effects of intervention-induced change in 2 protective factors - positive parenting and adaptive coping - and one risk factor - stressful events - on youth mental health problems and maladaptive grief. This study extends prior research on fear of abandonment in youth who experience parental death by examining pathways through which a program reduced fear of abandonment and, in turn, affected subsequent pathways to child mental health problems in the context of a randomized experiment. Methods: This is a secondary data analysis study. We used data from the 4-wave longitudinal 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial of the Family Bereavement Program conducted between 1996 and 1999 in a large city in the Southwestern United States. The sample consisted of 244 offspring between 8 and 16 at the pretest. They were assessed again at posttest, 11-month follow-up, and 6-year follow-up. Offspring, caregivers, and teachers provided data. Results: Mediation analyses indicated that intervention-induced reductions in stressful events were prospectively associated with a lower fear of abandonment. For girls, fear of abandonment was related to self-reported maladaptive grief and teacher-reported internalizing problems 6 years later. Conclusions: This study extends prior research on the relation between intervention-induced changes in risk and protective factors and improvements in outcomes of bereaved youth. The findings support the reduction of stressful events as a key proximal target of prevention programs for bereaved children.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 247-258 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of pediatric psychology |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2024 |
Keywords
- bereavement
- fear of abandonment
- grief
- intervention
- mental health
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Developmental and Educational Psychology