The sibling of a 4-year-old girl dies from sudden infant death syndrome.The parents are concerned because the 4-year-old girl showed more outward grief when her cat died than now.How should the nurse explain this reaction to the parents?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Children of this age believe that their thoughts can cause death.The child may feel guilty and responsible.The loss may be so deep,painful,and threatening that the child needs to deny it for a time.Denial is within the range of a normal response to the death of a sibling.Counseling is not indicated at this time.Denial is also characteristic of the child's developmental level.These children do have a concept of death,seeing it as a separation.The child also would have formed an attachment to the sibling,who was in the house and sharing the parents' time and attention.

The Sibling of a 4-Year-Old Girl Dies from Sudden Infant