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Many women experience miscarriage every year. Every fourth woman who has given birth reports that she has previous experience of miscarriage. In a study of all women in the Swedish Medical Birth Register 1983-2003, we found that the number of cases of self reported miscarriage had increased in Sweden during this 21 year period. This increase can be explained by the introduction of sensitive pregnancy tests around 1990, as well as an increase in the mean age of the mothers, by approximately 3 years, during the observation period. The risk of miscarriage is 13% with the first child. With subsequent pregnancies, the risk of miscarriage is 8%, 6% and 4% with the second, third and fourth child, respectively. Thirteen of these women who had suffered a recent miscarriage were interviewed four months later, and their feelings of guilt and emptiness were explored. Their experience was that they wanted their questions to be answered, and that they wanted others to treat them as the mothers to be that they felt themselves to be. They also experienced the need for time to grieve their loss. Measurement of grief by means of the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) is used in research but has also been proposed for clinical use. We have translated this psychological instrument to Swedish, back-translated and tested it in a small pilot study. In a randomized controlled study, women with early miscarriage were allocated, either to a structured visit (study group) or a regular visit (control group) to a midwife. The structured visit was conducted according to the Swanson caring theory. We could conclude that the structured visit had no significant effect on grief compared to the regular visit, as measured using the PGS. However, women with the sub-diagnosis missed abortion have significantly more grief four months after early miscarriage, regardless of visit type. We also performed a content analysis of the tape-recorded structured follow-up visit. The code-key used was Bonanno and Kaltman’s general grief categorization. Women’s expression of grief after miscarriage was found to be very similar to the grief experienced following the death of a relative. Furthermore, the grief was found to be independent of number of children, women’s age, or earlier experience of miscarriage. Conclusions: Every fourth woman who gives birth reports that she has also experienced early miscarriage. The experience of these women is that they have suffered a substantial loss and their reaction is grief similar to that experienced following the death of a relative.

Thesis advisor: June Horowitz / Parents who simultaneously grieve the loss of one twin and nurture the surviving twin experience a paradox of grief and joy. The acute grief of losing a twin coincides with a critical time in the development of the parental role and relationship with the surviving twin. Very few researchers have addressed the unique parenting situation in which one twin infant dies. The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe the experience of parents who lose one twin in utero, at birth, or in the neonatal period. The study question was "What is the parenting experience of mothers and fathers who simultaneously face the grief of the loss of one twin while nurturing the surviving twin during infancy?" Nine parents, recruited via a support group, were interviewed. Systematic content analysis, emphasizing in-vivo coding (participant's own words), was conducted until data saturation was reached. A comprehensive description of the experience of raising a surviving twin was constructed. Four descriptive themes were identified: (1) Living with ambiguity: the irony of raising a lone twin, belonging and not belonging, and at least there is one; (2) Communicating the family journey: telling or not telling, deciding who needs to know, and how many children; (3) Parenting with wonder and worry: doubt and hyper-vigilance, unanswered questions, and the living twin as a unique person; and (4) Life is different now: loss of innocence, honoring both twins, making and keeping relationships, work-life challenges, and accepting that it doesn't go away. Issues raised by parents included the ambiguity and irony of losing one twin, no one understands, multiple losses, and living with this loss. The description of this experience gives insight to the dynamics and burden of this loss. Data from this study can inform pediatric nurses about the issues, concerns, and needs of parents who sustain this kind of loss. Therapeutic interventions based by the tenets of family-centered nursing care can be developed by understanding the long-term effects of grief on parenting. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

In the U.S., Black mothers experience fetal and infant mortality at alarming rates when compared to White and Latina mothers (Gregory, Drake, & Martin, 2018). The intent of this study was to examine perinatal loss among Black American women and to expand understanding of how the Strong Black Woman (SBW) ideology influences bereavement. Data were gathered from (N=109) Black American bereaved mothers. It was predicted that endorsement of differing aspects of the SBW would moderate the relationship between perinatal grief and psychosocial outcomes (i.e., depression and post-traumatic growth). Regression analyses, alongside a bootstrapping procedure via PROCESS (Hayes, 2017), were used to evaluate the moderation models. Results yielded a model of perinatal bereavement among Black American mothers. In particular, reliance on spirituality moderated the relationship between perinatal grief and depression, while the obligation to manifest strength moderated the relation between perinatal grief and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Neither moderated moderation model was significant. The model provided significant implications for clinical practice and intervention.

Many women experience miscarriage every year. Every fourth woman who has given birth reports that she has previous experience of miscarriage. In a study of all women in the Swedish Medical Birth Register 1983-2003, we found that the number of cases of self reported miscarriage had increased in Sweden during this 21 year period. This increase can be explained by the introduction of sensitive pregnancy tests around 1990, as well as an increase in the mean age of the mothers, by approximately 3 years, during the observation period. The risk of miscarriage is 13% with the first child. With subsequent pregnancies, the risk of miscarriage is 8%, 6% and 4% with the second, third and fourth child, respectively. Thirteen of these women who had suffered a recent miscarriage were interviewed four months later, and their feelings of guilt and emptiness were explored. Their experience was that they wanted their questions to be answered, and that they wanted others to treat them as the mothers to be that they felt themselves to be. They also experienced the need for time to grieve their loss. Measurement of grief by means of the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) is used in research but has also been proposed for clinical use. We have translated this psychological instrument to Swedish, back-translated and tested it in a small pilot study. In a randomized controlled study, women with early miscarriage were allocated, either to a structured visit (study group) or a regular visit (control group) to a midwife. The structured visit was conducted according to the Swanson caring theory. We could conclude that the structured visit had no significant effect on grief compared to the regular visit, as measured using the PGS. However, women with the sub-diagnosis missed abortion have significantly more grief four months after early miscarriage, regardless of visit type. We also performed a content analysis of the tape-recorded structured follow-up visit. The code-key used was Bonanno and Kaltman’s general grief categorization. Women’s expression of grief after miscarriage was found to be very similar to the grief experienced following the death of a relative. Furthermore, the grief was found to be independent of number of children, women’s age, or earlier experience of miscarriage. Conclusions: Every fourth woman who gives birth reports that she has also experienced early miscarriage. The experience of these women is that they have suffered a substantial loss and their reaction is grief similar to that experienced following the death of a relative. / On the day of the public defence of the doctoral thesis the status of article III was In Press and article IV was In Press.

L'objet de ce travail est d'analyser l'évolution du processus de deuil lors d'une grossesse suivant une interruption médicale de grossesse (IMG). 8461 enfants sont nés sans vie en France en 2012 et 59 à 86% des femmes démarre,t une nouvelle grossesse dans les 6 mois suivant la perte; le deuil périnatal constitue un problème de santé publique puisque 25% évoluent vers un deuil pathologique. Le statut de l'objet perdu et la représentation que s'en font les mères participent du destin de ce foetus perdu; l'évolution des pratiques favorisant l'humanisation du foetus et l'objectalisation de ce dernier est critiquée par certains auteurs. Nous relevons un maque de consensus dans la littérature sur l'impact de cette nouvelle grossesse sur le processus de deuil; selon certains, elle pourrait interrompre le travail de deuil, pour d'autres au contraire favoriser une reprise élaborative. Ces grossesses suivantes, teintées du deuil, semblent représenter un facteur de risque dans l'attachement prénatal avec des conséquences sur le lien à l'enfant puîné. Nous interrogeons donc la relation entre le processus de deuil périnatal et le processus d'investissement de l'enfant à venir lors d'une grossesse suivante. Méthodologie utilisée: suivi longitudinal de 7 femmes enceintes lors d'une grossesse suivant une IMG après 15 SA, aux 3 trimestres de la grossesse et aux 3 mois de l'enfant suivant, selon une analyse qualitative au moyen d'entretiens de recherche clinique et une analyse quantitative de la dépression (EPDS), anxiété (STAI), deuil périnatal (PGS) et attachement prénatal (PAI) au moyen d'autoquestionnaires. Les résultats qualitatifs, traités de façon singulière selon une analyse psychodynamique, sont regroupés ensuite en fonction de nos hypothèses. Les résultats quantitatifs sont intégrés dans un corpus plus large pour permettre une analyse statistique des données. Résultats: entre le normal et le pathologique, les affects, les émotions, les représentations oscillent sur ce continuum, au fil de la grossesse, des termes et dates anniversaires, des manifestations sensorielles éprouvées. La grossesse suivante permet de revisiter la grossesse précédente; elle donne l'opportunité aux mères endeuillées de mettre en mots les affects brutes consécutifs à la perte, de mettre du sens pour inscrire cet événement traumatique dans l'histoire individuelle, conjugale et familiale. Certaines patientes, pour qui le travail de deuil pouvait sembler figé, ont pu mettre la transparence psychique de cette nouvelle grossesse à profit pour ré-élaborer la perte précédente et donner une juste place à chacun des deux bébés. L'actualisation du processus de deuil lors de la grossesse suivante sera fonction de la structure psychique des patientes; la dépression et l'angoisse sont également des marqueurs de l'élaboration de la perte et de la place faite à l'enfant puîné. L'analyse quantitative des données statistiques montre la présence d'anxiété particulièrement au début de la grossesse suivante. / The objet of this work is to analyze the evolution of the process of mourning during a pregnancy following a termination of pregnancy (TOP). 8461 children were born dead in France in 2012 and 59 to 86% of women start a new pregnancy in the six months following the loss; the perinatal mourning constitutes a problem of public health because 25% lead to a pathological mourning. The status of the lost object and maternal representations participate in the fate this lost foetus. The evolution of the practices favoring the humanization of the foetus and the objectalisation of the latter is criticized by some authors. We find a lack of consensus in the literature on the impact of this new pregnancy on the process of mourning. According to certain authors, she could interrupt the work of mourning, for others on the contrary, favor a elaborative resumption. These following pregnancies, tinged with the mourning, seem to represent a risk factor in the prenatal attachment with consequences on the link to the puisne child. We thus question the relation between the process of perinatal mourning and the process of investment of the child coming during a following pregnancy. Used methodology: longitudinal follow-up of seven pregnant women during pregnancy following a TOP after 15 weeks, three times during the pregnancy and at three months after the birth of the subsequent child according to a qualitative analysis (interview of clinical research) and a quantitative analysis of depression (EPDS), anxiety (STAI), perinatal mourning (PGS) and prenatal attachment (PAI) by means of auto-questionnaires. The qualitative results, treated in a singular way according to a psychodynamic analysis, are then included according to our hypotheses. The quantitative results are integrated into a wier corpus to allow statistical analysis of the data. Results: between the normal and the pathological, affects, feelings and representations oscillate on this continuum, in the course of the pregnancy, the terms and anniversaries, the proven sensory demonstrations. The following pregnancy allows to revisit the previous pregnancy; she gives the opportunity to the mothers saddened to put into words the gross affects consecutive to the loss, to put of the sens to register this traumatic event in the individual, conjugal, and family history. Somme women,for whom the work of mourning could seem motionless, were able to put the psychic transparency of this new pregnancy in profit to redevelop the previous loss and to give a just place to each of both babies. The updating of the process of mourning during the following pregnancy will be function of the psychic structure of the woman. The depression and the anxiety are also markers of the elaboration of the loss and the place made for the puisne child. The quantitaive analysis of the statistical data shows the presence of anxiety, particularly at the begining of the following pregnancy.

The dissertation discusses theis sues of psycho-socio-spiritual care of midwives for a woman after perinatal loss and is mainly focused on interventions that help building an attitude towards perinatal loss (farewell rituals with a baby, collection of mementos) and their influence on grieving process of women after perinatal loss. The objective of the empirical part of the study was to thoroughly describe the experiences of Czech women with parting with a child after perinatal death and investigate the impact of this experience on the grieving process after the perinatal loss. Thesub-objective of the thesis was to validate the Czech version of the Perinatal Grief Scale. We used a mixed methods research design to fulfill the dissertation's objectives. The analyses of qualitative and quantitative data were performed separately and integrated during the interpretation of research findings. The study sample comprised of total 102 women who experienced perinatal loss. The detailed description of experience of Czech women with interventions related to parting with the deceased child was dominated by the decision making process of women about farewell rituals (seeing and holding the baby, receive mementos of it). The key factors that influenced the decision making process were classified as internal (the need of the woman to get to know her child, doubt and fear of contact) and external (emotional support, information provided and a relationship with the midwife/ attending doctor) during our research. The research proved a significant influence of the independent decision of the woman about the contact with her deceased child on the intensity of grief. Grief of women who decided on their own and were confident about their decision was statistically less severe than grief of women whose decision was made by the medical personnel instead. We were checking the intensity of grief of women after perinatal loss using the newly validated Perinatal Grief Scale instrument that can be used as a single factor scale in the Czech Republic. Reliability of the research instrument was established using Cronbach alpha coefficient (? = 0.9545) and indicated high reliability. The outcomes of the mixed research point towards necessary changes in the psycho-social care of midwives for women after perinatal loss.

L'objet de ce travail est d'analyser l'évolution du processus de deuil lors d'une grossesse suivant une interruption médicale de grossesse (IMG). 8461 enfants sont nés sans vie en France en 2012 et 59 à 86% des femmes démarre,t une nouvelle grossesse dans les 6 mois suivant la perte; le deuil périnatal constitue un problème de santé publique puisque 25% évoluent vers un deuil pathologique. Le statut de l'objet perdu et la représentation que s'en font les mères participent du destin de ce foetus perdu; l'évolution des pratiques favorisant l'humanisation du foetus et l'objectalisation de ce dernier est critiquée par certains auteurs. Nous relevons un maque de consensus dans la littérature sur l'impact de cette nouvelle grossesse sur le processus de deuil; selon certains, elle pourrait interrompre le travail de deuil, pour d'autres au contraire favoriser une reprise élaborative. Ces grossesses suivantes, teintées du deuil, semblent représenter un facteur de risque dans l'attachement prénatal avec des conséquences sur le lien à l'enfant puîné. Nous interrogeons donc la relation entre le processus de deuil périnatal et le processus d'investissement de l'enfant à venir lors d'une grossesse suivante. Méthodologie utilisée: suivi longitudinal de 7 femmes enceintes lors d'une grossesse suivant une IMG après 15 SA, aux 3 trimestres de la grossesse et aux 3 mois de l'enfant suivant, selon une analyse qualitative au moyen d'entretiens de recherche clinique et une analyse quantitative de la dépression (EPDS), anxiété (STAI), deuil périnatal (PGS) et attachement prénatal (PAI) au moyen d'autoquestionnaires. Les résultats qualitatifs, traités de façon singulière selon une analyse psychodynamique, sont regroupés ensuite en fonction de nos hypothèses. Les résultats quantitatifs sont intégrés dans un corpus plus large pour permettre une analyse statistique des données. Résultats: entre le normal et le pathologique, les affects, les émotions, les représentations oscillent sur ce continuum, au fil de la grossesse, des termes et dates anniversaires, des manifestations sensorielles éprouvées. La grossesse suivante permet de revisiter la grossesse précédente; elle donne l'opportunité aux mères endeuillées de mettre en mots les affects brutes consécutifs à la perte, de mettre du sens pour inscrire cet événement traumatique dans l'histoire individuelle, conjugale et familiale. Certaines patientes, pour qui le travail de deuil pouvait sembler figé, ont pu mettre la transparence psychique de cette nouvelle grossesse à profit pour ré-élaborer la perte précédente et donner une juste place à chacun des deux bébés. L'actualisation du processus de deuil lors de la grossesse suivante sera fonction de la structure psychique des patientes; la dépression et l'angoisse sont également des marqueurs de l'élaboration de la perte et de la place faite à l'enfant puîné. L'analyse quantitative des données statistiques montre la présence d'anxiété particulièrement au début de la grossesse suivante. / The objet of this work is to analyze the evolution of the process of mourning during a pregnancy following a termination of pregnancy (TOP). 8461 children were born dead in France in 2012 and 59 to 86% of women start a new pregnancy in the six months following the loss; the perinatal mourning constitutes a problem of public health because 25% lead to a pathological mourning. The status of the lost object and maternal representations participate in the fate this lost foetus. The evolution of the practices favoring the humanization of the foetus and the objectalisation of the latter is criticized by some authors. We find a lack of consensus in the literature on the impact of this new pregnancy on the process of mourning. According to certain authors, she could interrupt the work of mourning, for others on the contrary, favor a elaborative resumption. These following pregnancies, tinged with the mourning, seem to represent a risk factor in the prenatal attachment with consequences on the link to the puisne child. We thus question the relation between the process of perinatal mourning and the process of investment of the child coming during a following pregnancy. Used methodology: longitudinal follow-up of seven pregnant women during pregnancy following a TOP after 15 weeks, three times during the pregnancy and at three months after the birth of the subsequent child according to a qualitative analysis (interview of clinical research) and a quantitative analysis of depression (EPDS), anxiety (STAI), perinatal mourning (PGS) and prenatal attachment (PAI) by means of auto-questionnaires. The qualitative results, treated in a singular way according to a psychodynamic analysis, are then included according to our hypotheses. The quantitative results are integrated into a wier corpus to allow statistical analysis of the data. Results: between the normal and the pathological, affects, feelings and representations oscillate on this continuum, in the course of the pregnancy, the terms and anniversaries, the proven sensory demonstrations. The following pregnancy allows to revisit the previous pregnancy; she gives the opportunity to the mothers saddened to put into words the gross affects consecutive to the loss, to put of the sens to register this traumatic event in the individual, conjugal, and family history. Somme women,for whom the work of mourning could seem motionless, were able to put the psychic transparency of this new pregnancy in profit to redevelop the previous loss and to give a just place to each of both babies. The updating of the process of mourning during the following pregnancy will be function of the psychic structure of the woman. The depression and the anxiety are also markers of the elaboration of the loss and the place made for the puisne child. The quantitaive analysis of the statistical data shows the presence of anxiety, particularly at the begining of the following pregnancy.

L'objet de ce travail est d'analyser l'évolution du processus de deuil lors d'une grossesse suivant une interruption médicale de grossesse (IMG). 8461 enfants sont nés sans vie en France en 2012 et 59 à 86% des femmes démarre,t une nouvelle grossesse dans les 6 mois suivant la perte; le deuil périnatal constitue un problème de santé publique puisque 25% évoluent vers un deuil pathologique. Le statut de l'objet perdu et la représentation que s'en font les mères participent du destin de ce foetus perdu; l'évolution des pratiques favorisant l'humanisation du foetus et l'objectalisation de ce dernier est critiquée par certains auteurs. Nous relevons un maque de consensus dans la littérature sur l'impact de cette nouvelle grossesse sur le processus de deuil; selon certains, elle pourrait interrompre le travail de deuil, pour d'autres au contraire favoriser une reprise élaborative. Ces grossesses suivantes, teintées du deuil, semblent représenter un facteur de risque dans l'attachement prénatal avec des conséquences sur le lien à l'enfant puîné. Nous interrogeons donc la relation entre le processus de deuil périnatal et le processus d'investissement de l'enfant à venir lors d'une grossesse suivante. Méthodologie utilisée: suivi longitudinal de 7 femmes enceintes lors d'une grossesse suivant une IMG après 15 SA, aux 3 trimestres de la grossesse et aux 3 mois de l'enfant suivant, selon une analyse qualitative au moyen d'entretiens de recherche clinique et une analyse quantitative de la dépression (EPDS), anxiété (STAI), deuil périnatal (PGS) et attachement prénatal (PAI) au moyen d'autoquestionnaires. Les résultats qualitatifs, traités de façon singulière selon une analyse psychodynamique, sont regroupés ensuite en fonction de nos hypothèses. Les résultats quantitatifs sont intégrés dans un corpus plus large pour permettre une analyse statistique des données. Résultats: entre le normal et le pathologique, les affects, les émotions, les représentations oscillent sur ce continuum, au fil de la grossesse, des termes et dates anniversaires, des manifestations sensorielles éprouvées. La grossesse suivante permet de revisiter la grossesse précédente; elle donne l'opportunité aux mères endeuillées de mettre en mots les affects brutes consécutifs à la perte, de mettre du sens pour inscrire cet événement traumatique dans l'histoire individuelle, conjugale et familiale. Certaines patientes, pour qui le travail de deuil pouvait sembler figé, ont pu mettre la transparence psychique de cette nouvelle grossesse à profit pour ré-élaborer la perte précédente et donner une juste place à chacun des deux bébés. L'actualisation du processus de deuil lors de la grossesse suivante sera fonction de la structure psychique des patientes; la dépression et l'angoisse sont également des marqueurs de l'élaboration de la perte et de la place faite à l'enfant puîné. L'analyse quantitative des données statistiques montre la présence d'anxiété particulièrement au début de la grossesse suivante. / The objet of this work is to analyze the evolution of the process of mourning during a pregnancy following a termination of pregnancy (TOP). 8461 children were born dead in France in 2012 and 59 to 86% of women start a new pregnancy in the six months following the loss; the perinatal mourning constitutes a problem of public health because 25% lead to a pathological mourning. The status of the lost object and maternal representations participate in the fate this lost foetus. The evolution of the practices favoring the humanization of the foetus and the objectalisation of the latter is criticized by some authors. We find a lack of consensus in the literature on the impact of this new pregnancy on the process of mourning. According to certain authors, she could interrupt the work of mourning, for others on the contrary, favor a elaborative resumption. These following pregnancies, tinged with the mourning, seem to represent a risk factor in the prenatal attachment with consequences on the link to the puisne child. We thus question the relation between the process of perinatal mourning and the process of investment of the child coming during a following pregnancy. Used methodology: longitudinal follow-up of seven pregnant women during pregnancy following a TOP after 15 weeks, three times during the pregnancy and at three months after the birth of the subsequent child according to a qualitative analysis (interview of clinical research) and a quantitative analysis of depression (EPDS), anxiety (STAI), perinatal mourning (PGS) and prenatal attachment (PAI) by means of auto-questionnaires. The qualitative results, treated in a singular way according to a psychodynamic analysis, are then included according to our hypotheses. The quantitative results are integrated into a wier corpus to allow statistical analysis of the data. Results: between the normal and the pathological, affects, feelings and representations oscillate on this continuum, in the course of the pregnancy, the terms and anniversaries, the proven sensory demonstrations. The following pregnancy allows to revisit the previous pregnancy; she gives the opportunity to the mothers saddened to put into words the gross affects consecutive to the loss, to put of the sens to register this traumatic event in the individual, conjugal, and family history. Somme women,for whom the work of mourning could seem motionless, were able to put the psychic transparency of this new pregnancy in profit to redevelop the previous loss and to give a just place to each of both babies. The updating of the process of mourning during the following pregnancy will be function of the psychic structure of the woman. The depression and the anxiety are also markers of the elaboration of the loss and the place made for the puisne child. The quantitaive analysis of the statistical data shows the presence of anxiety, particularly at the begining of the following pregnancy.