A new study has highlighted the chances of early death in bereaved parents --- that is, parents who have either undergone the pain of having a stillborn baby, or who lost their baby in its first year of life!

Though earlier studies have found that a "broken heart", due to the loss of a partner, can lead to early death risk in people, the new study - published in the journal BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care - is apparently the first one to reveal the early death risks to bereaved parents.

According to the findings of the study, conducted by researchers from the University of York and the University of Stirling, it is a matter of "major concern" that bereaved parents face a 2-4 times increased risk of early death - or even becoming widowed - during the first 10 years of losing their child, as compared with parents who are not bereaved.

The study pointed out the effect of losing a child was notably pronounced in mothers, with bereaved mothers apparently being 1.5 times more likely to die early in the first 25 years after their child's death vis-a-vis mothers who have not lost a baby.

Noting that it is quite possible that the stress of bereavement takes its toll on parents who have lost their child, the researchers are of the opinion that there is need for larger-scale studies to identify the causes of early death in bereaved parents and ascertain the measures that can be undertaken to help these parents!