Unexpected death of an infant sibling.

When infants die suddenly and unexpectedly, family structures are abruptly altered. This loss and its subsequent changes affect remaining older siblings. New "big brother" and "big sister" roles are suddenly terminated, often in a catastrophic manner.

Observations of paternal response to sudden unanticipated infant death.

Support provided to families experiencing the loss of an infant to sudden infant death syndrome has focused on the description of maternal bonding and the consequences to the mother. However fathers also develop significant relationships with their infants, and their responses to the unanticipated loss of their children may be different than those of mothers. In this study 28 fathers who lost infants to SIDS appeared to have identifiable patterns of behavior which were more peculiar to men: (1) the necessity to "keep busy" with increased work; (2) feelings of diminished self-worth; (3) self-blame because of lack of "care" involvement; and (4) a limited ability to ask for help.