Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34416852›Full record

ArticleBMC psychiatry2021

Gender differences in the risk of depressive disorders following the loss of a young child: a nationwide population-based longitudinal study.

Hsin-Hung Chen, I-An Wang, Shao-You Fang, Yiing-Jenq Chou, Chuan-Yu Chen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Gender Differences and Comorbidities in Major Depression.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Hsin-Hung ChenDivision of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
I-An WangCenter of Neuropsychiatric Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan.
Shao-You FangCenter of Neuropsychiatric Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan.
Yiing-Jenq ChouInstitute of Public Health, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155, Sec. 2, St. Linong, Taipei City, Taiwan, 112.
Chuan-Yu ChenInstitute of Public Health, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155, Sec. 2, St. Linong, Taipei City, Taiwan, 112. chuanychen@nycu.edu.tw.
National Health Research Institutes · TWNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWTaipei Veterans General Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLosing a child to death is one of the most stressful life events experienced in adulthood. The aim of the current study is to investigate parental risk of seeking treatment for major depression disorders (MDD) after a child's death and to explore whether such connection may operate differentially by parents' prior medical condition.

methodsWe studied a retrospective cohort of 7245 parents (2987 mothers and 4258 fathers) identified in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (NHIRD) who had lost a child with age between 1 and 12 years. For comparison, the parents of 1:4 birth year- and gender-matched non-deceased children were retrieved (16,512 mothers and 17,753 fathers). Gender-specific Cox regression analyses were performed to estimate risk.

resultsNearly 5.0% and 2.4% of bereaved mothers and fathers sought treatment for MDD within three years after a child's death, significantly higher than 0.8% and 0.5% in the non-bereaved parents. With covariate adjustment, the hazard ratio (HR) for maternal and paternal seeking treatment for MDD was estimated 4.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.35-6.64) and 1.93 (95% CI: 1.27-2.95), respectively. The increased risk of MDD varied by prior disease history; specifically, the increased risk of seeking treatment for MDD was especially prominent for those without chronic physical condition (CPC) (e.g., mothers with CPC: aHR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.56-3.65 vs. no CPC: aHR = 9.55, 95% CI: 6.17-14.79).

conclusionsAfter the death of a child, parental elevated risk of MDD was especially prominent for the women and those without prior medical condition. Effective strategies addressing bereavement may require family-based, integrated physical and mental healthcare and even extended counseling service.

Indexed as

BereavementDepressive DisorderAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantLongitudinal StudiesMaleRetrospective StudiesSex FactorsBereavement effectsDeath of a childMajor depressive disorderTreatment seeking

Identifiers

PMID34416852
PMCPMC8377956
OpenAlexW3154424671

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.