Grief intervention and sudden infant death syndrome

A program utilizing nurses to deliver grief intervention to parents losing a baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is described. Because parents of SIDS victims experience profound feelings of guilt and especially servere crisis reactions, programs relieving guilt and providing additional support to them are felt to have significant preventive potential. Data are presented tentatively supporting the conclusion that the SIDS grief intervention program had a beneficial impact on the participants. Implications for crisis theory and preventive programming in general are also discussed.