Church Attendance, Religious Affiliation and Parental Responses to Sudden Infant Death, Neonatal Death and Stillbirth

Abstract

There is an association between religion and health: those who are religious have healthier life-styles resulting in less physical illness and improved longevity. Some evidence shows that there may be a beneficial association between religion and psychological well-being. With bereavement, some may “turn to God” while others “turn away from God”; this occurrence may be reflected in their church attendance. In a prospective study, families who had experienced death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Neonatal Death, or Stillbirth were compared for anxiety, depression, and church attendance with control families who had not experienced such bereavement A traditionally held belief that religion offers consolation for the grief of bereavement and that the bereaved “turn to God” as reflected in church attendance was not confirmed. There is the suggestion that the bereaved who attend church regularly have less anxiety and depression compared with the irregular or non-church attenders.