Overview
- The peer-reviewed analysis, published Monday in JAMA Network Open, finds Michigan children who lost a biological parent to homicide, suicide, or overdose die at much higher rates than other children.
- After a parental homicide, the child mortality rate was 106.10 per 10,000, compared with 66.16 after parental suicide and 36.97 after overdose, versus 5.22 for Michigan children overall.
- Researchers linked statewide birth and death records from 1992 to 2023 with the Michigan health department to identify 32,262 bereaved children.
- The team estimated about 150 excess child deaths over the study period and said the true toll is likely higher because paternal deaths are often underreported.
- The authors called for a statewide bereavement collaborative and earlier preventive care to close service gaps that leave grieving families without support.