Premature singleton versus a twin or triplet infant death: parental adjustment studied through a personal interview

Parental adjustment following the death of a premature singleton or multiple birth infant has hitherto been studied by mailed questionnaires or telephone survey. In the present study, using an in-depth personal interview, grief reactions and adjustment patterns of nine families who lost a singleton premature infant ('Single Group') were compared with those of nine families who lost one of a premature multiple birth cohort ('Multiple Group'). The interview was conducted 1-4 years after the death of the infant and evaluated specific areas or 'scales' of life adjustment, including individual feelings, relationship between husband and wife, and functioning at home and at work. There was no significant difference between the paternal and maternal level of adjustment of the two groups in any of the studied scales. A positive correlation was found between maternal and paternal grief reaction of the same family in the scales of individual feelings (r = 0.65), relationships between husband and wife (r = 0.70), and functioning at home (r = 0.57). Comparing the father's scale with the mother's scale revealed a significant difference only in the area of 'individual feelings'. The gestational age, maternal bonding during hospitalisation of the infant and the parental attendance at the event of death were significantly associated with the process of parental adjustment. The results of this study support previous reports of similar parental reactions following the demise of a premature singleton or multiple birth infant. Since societal environment may not recognise the need for consolation of these families, care, compassion, and sensitivity should be encouraged in dealing with these parents at the time of their infant' death, and for a long time thereafter.