The Impact of Postpregnancy Loss Services on Grief Outcome: Integrating Research and Practice in the Design of Perinatal Bereavement Programs

Abstract

A national sample of 249 bereaved mothers and 114 of their male partners was investigated retrospectively, using a mailed questionnaire and the Perinatal Grief Scale, to determine the impact of postpregnancy loss services on grief outcome. Participants ranged in age from eighteen to forty-seven and experienced from one to twelve pregnancy losses with gestational age of two to forty-two weeks. A three-stage multiple regression analysis determined that predictors differed by gender and that services contributed to the prediction of grief outcome above and beyond demographic variables. Significant predictors for mothers were months since loss, attending counseling, and attending support group; significant predictors for fathers were length of pregnancy, talking with friends, and timing of talking with family. A large-scale longitudinal study that controls for service variables could inform the development of future perinatal bereavement programming in addressing the unique needs of bereaved mothers and fathers.