Bereavement and grief in adults with learning disabilities

Background This paper reports the results of the first systematic study of the reaction of people with learning disabilities to bereavement. Method A sample of 50 parent-bereaved people with learning disabilities was compared with a matched control group of 50 non-bereaved people. A semi-structured bereavement questionnaire was used along with the following instruments: the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC), the Psychopathology Instrument for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA) and the life Events Checklist. Results Highly significant differences are demonstrated between bereaved and non-bereaved samples on both the total scores and most of the subscores of the ABC and PIMRA. Staff and carers did not usually attribute behaviour problems to the bereavement and its concomitant life events, nor was there a recognition of psychopathology due to bereavement. Conclusions The impact in terms of psychiatric and behavioural morbidity of loss of a parent, with its concomitant life events, in adults with learning disabilities has been underestimated.