Resolution of Parental Bereavement after a Perinatal Loss

Gender comparison of psychological reaction after miscarriage—a 1‐year longitudinal study

“…In a study of 36 couples with pregnancy loss, Stinson et al 15 found that husbands reported less grief, guilt, loneliness, fear and depression 2 months after loss than did their wives. Theut et al 16 found no differences between grief scores of 16 couples during a pregnancy 2 years subsequent to a miscarriage. In a prospective study investigating the grief response in 39 women and 32 partners immediately and at 4 months after miscarriage, Conway and Russell 17 found that male partners scored significantly higher than women.…”

“…In a prospective study investigating the grief response in 39 women and 32 partners immediately and at 4 months after miscarriage, Conway and Russell 17 found that male partners scored significantly higher than women. Nevertheless, these studies are limited by their small sample sizes, [15][16][17] mixed study populations of miscarriages and stillbirths, 15 a high attrition rate and a lack of longitudinal assessment. 17 In two longitudinal studies with follow-up over a 1-year period, women were reported to have significantly higher depression or anxiety scores than men; 18,19 however, different evolutionary courses of psychological reaction were reported for men.…”

Parental grief reactions and marital intimacy following infant death

“…Besides a crisis, su ch as the death of a child, other variables that ma}' influence marital inti~acy include the couple's socio-economic status (Brown et al, 1975;Derlega 1 20 & Chaikin, 1975;Jourard, 1971), the number of years they have been living together, and the number and developmental age group of their children (Hobbs, & Cole, 1976;Rossi, 1968;Satir, 1967 (Gorer, 1965;Kalish, 1977;Kirkley~ Best & Kellner, 1982;Schwartz, 1977;Shneidman, 1977;Theut et al, 1989) (Davidson, 1977;De Frain & Ernst, 1978;Furman, 1978;He1mrath & steinitz, 1978;Nichols, 1986;Peppers & Knapp, 1980). With respect to the time sinee the 10ss, some researchers have not found a difference in parents'…”

“…Controversy persists in the literature regarding the relationship between the age af the child at the time of death and the parents' grief reactions. Sorne researchers have faund that the oider the child the more intense the parents' grief (Gorer, 1965;Kalish, 1977;Kirkley-Best & Kellner, 1982;Schwartz, 1977;Shneidman, 1977;Theut et al, 1989) while others have concluded that the reaction to the loss was just as great in the case of a miscarriage as a neonatal death (Davidson, 1977;De Frain & Ernst, 1978;Furman, 1978;Helmrath & Steinitz, 1978;Nichols, 1986;Peppers & Knapp, 1980;Smith & Borgers, 1989 The MBEQ's internaI consistencies were assessed using Cronbach's alpha separately for the nonbereaved husband data and the nonbereaved wife data ( Table 9). The item-tosubscale coefficients were high for both husbands and wives (range: .82 -.86 and .74 -.81 respectively).…”

“…Whereas some studies have found that the oider the child at the time of death the more intense parents' grief (Gorer, 1965;KdIish, 1977;Kirkley-Best, & Keliner, 1982;Schwartz, 1977;Shneidman, 1977;Theut et al, 1989), others have concluded that the reaction ta the loss is just as great in the case of a miscarriage as a neonatal death (Davidson, 1977;De Frain and Ernst, 1978;Furman, 1978;Helmrath & steinitz, 1978;Nichols, 1986;Peppers & Knapp, 1980;smith & Borgers, 1989).…”