Children who lose their parents at a young age need much more bereavement support than simply counseling, or their distress may last long into adulthood, new research suggests.

According to a team from the University of Liverpool in the UK, a lack of adequate support for young people whose parents pass away can lead to long-term damage and suffering.

The team followed the progress of people who had lost a parent at a young age and found that many who did not receive adequate support had issues with loneliness, self-esteem and expressing feelings. These effects lasted up to 70 years after the bereavement.

The researchers said that two things which make the death of a parent even harder are moving home and separation from family and friends.

"This makes adjustment to parental death significantly more difficult and increases stress in bereaved children. Long periods of disruption or living arrangements that do not meet the needs of the bereaved child means they are more likely to experience emotional difficulties and feelings of insecurity and loneliness in adult life," they explained.

They emphasised that it is ‘essential' that bereavement support ‘consists of far more than counseling that is frequently available and offered to bereaved children'.

"Where possible they should remain in their existing social networks, live in the same area, go to the same school and maintain the same friendships," the researchers said.

They also noted that people working with bereaved families must ensure that support is available ‘at every level of the family system'. This can include everything from counseling to providing help with household tasks such as bringing children to school and cooking.

"Our research suggests that if the social network addresses the necessary 'mothering or fathering', then a child does not appear to be affected in adult life," they explained.

However, if children are not given ‘clear and honest information at appropriate time points relevant to their understanding and experience', they can become distressed and this distress can last a lifetime, they added.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.