Stress and Grief of a Perinatal Loss: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

Abstract

Based on family stress theory, this study examined the question of how parents grieve the loss of a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, we interviewed twenty-six couples two weeks after a perinatal loss. The couples filled out questionnaires measuring individual variables including bereavement, depression and stress, and couple variables including cohesion, adaptability, communication, satisfaction, and partner support. Then they participated in a three-hour semi-structured interview. Ethnographic content analysis revealed twelve themes closely related to the resources, the meaning of the stressful event, and the coping strategies of Hill's ABC-X stress model. The quantitative analysis of the individual and couple variables supported the qualitative findings in that most couples had excellent coping strategies derived from within the couple relationship.