Coping with the death of a child: a study over time.

The usefulness of coping as an explanatory variable in parental adjustment to the death of a child is suggested in a study of 194 parents who responded to a survey shortly after their bereavement and again a year later. The most adaptive coping strategies were active and externally directed, including replacement of the child and altruism; least adaptive were escape and preoccupation with the child. Effects of participation in a self-help group are examined and discussed.