Death of parent, sibling, spouse, and child in a Swedish national sample and risk of subsequent stress reaction, major depression, alcohol-use disorder, and drug-use disorder

Abstract Background To determine, in a general population, how much rates of stress reactions (SR), major depression (MD), alcohol-use disorder (AUD) and drug-use disorder (DUD) increase after the death of close relatives. Methods SR, MD, AUD, and DUD registrations were assessed from national Swedish registries. From the population followed from 2000 to 2018, those exposed to death of a close relative in 2002–2016 were matched to unexposed controls and analyzed in males and females by a controlled pre-post design using a difference-in-difference method. Results Substantial, brief increases in risk for SR and more modest prolonged increases in MD were observed after death of relatives in both men and women greatest with children, followed by spouses, parents, and siblings. Relatively long-lasting modest increases in AUD but not DUD were also observed following death of relatives. The absolute increases for SR and MD were greater in females than males and for AUD greater in males than females. However, logistic regression analyses showed most effects did not differ significantly by sex. Consistently larger increases in disorder risk were seen with the death of younger v. older parents, siblings, and spouses and with accidental v. non-accidental death in children. Conclusions Applying a matched cohort design to Swedish population registries, death of close relatives was associated with, and likely caused, substantial increases in rates of SR, MD, and AUD, consistent with smaller prior clinical investigations. Through such registries, we can, in large representative samples, integrate the impact of exposures to selected environmental adversities into disorder risk pathways.