Loss of parents in childhood – associations with depression, loneliness, and attitudes towards life in older Finnish people

Abstract

Aim. This study examines the prevalence of parental loss in childhood of older generations in Finland and how it is associated with demographic variables, depression, feelings of loneliness and attitudes towards life in old age. Background. A parental loss is a significant trauma in a child's life. It has long-term consequences in late adulthood, such as depression in middle age. Loss of parent/parents has not been under concern in the nursing literature. Little is known about the prevalence of parental loss and its consequences in old age such as depression, inner feelings of loneliness and life attitudes. Methods. The data were collected with a postal questionnaire from a random sample of 3728 older people (≥75 years) in Finland who responded to a question concerning loss of a parent when respondent was age ≤17 years. Results. Of those responding to the question concerning parental loss, 31.2% had lost their mother and/or father in the childhood (at age ≤17 years). Loss of parents was associated with lower level of education, physically heavy lifetime work, and not being married. There was no statistically significant relation between the loss of parent/parents in the childhood and self-reported depression or loneliness in the old age. In addition, loss of parent/parents was not associated with any attitudes towards life, such as life satisfaction, plans for the future, zest for life or happiness. Conclusions. Surprisingly many people from older generations had lost their parent/parents in their childhood, but it is not associated with depression, feelings of loneliness or other attitudes towards life. Several explanations for this are discussed. Relevance to clinical practice. Loss of parents does not necessarily lead to older people's psychological frailty. Nurses should be cautious when making interpretations about older people's early life history. Among older people early losses may be a source of successful coping skills rather than a risk factor for depression, loneliness and pessimistic life attitudes.