End-of-Life-Related Factors Associated with Posttraumatic Stress and Prolonged Grief in Parentally Bereaved Adolescents

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) are well-documented in parentally bereaved adolescents. Whether or not the parent's death is perceived as traumatic may be influenced by several end-of-life-related factors. This study aimed to examine the associations between end-of-life-related factors, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), symptoms of prolonged grief disorder and PGD, and the association between PTSD and PGD. Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman correlation were used to analyze the relationships between end-of-life-related factors, PTSD, and PGD. Regretting one's decision to be present or not present at the time of death resulted in a significant difference in self-reported scores for PTSD, but not PGD.