Mental distress and family functioning are important adaptive challenges that affect bereaved parents differentially by gender. In this second of two articles, we provide insights into mental distress and family functioning and intervention challenges. The Olson Circumplex Model (Olson, 1985) was used to determine levels of family functioning for 30 couples with children living at home. Based on these results and mental distress scores, four couples were selected for in-depth analysis. Results showed that discrepancies within couples changed over time. It was concluded that both mental distress and family functioning should be addressed jointly in intervention planning.
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