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[Stillbirth: the forgotten grief]
Meir Nadav1, Yael Besor, Asher Shiber
1Department of Psychiatry, Soroka University Medical Center and Division of Psychiatry, Center for Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. nadavm@clalit.org.il
Harefuah
|January 13, 2006
Summary
Stillbirth mourning is uniquely difficult because society often treats the lost fetus as a "non-person," denying legitimate grieving. This paper explores the challenges parents face and suggests improved support for stillbirth grief.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Medical Anthropology
Context:
- Stillbirth, or dead-birth, is a recognized medical event.
- Psychological responses to stillbirth have been historically under-researched.
- Existing models of mourning, like the Freudian perspective, do not fully address stillbirth.
Purpose:
- To introduce a socio-semiotic framework for understanding stillbirth mourning.
- To highlight the specific difficulties encountered by parents grieving a stillbirth.
- To propose guidelines for better clinical and social support.
Summary:
- This paper argues that societal perception of a stillborn fetus as a "non-person" invalidates parental grief.
- The lack of social legitimacy for mourning creates a conflict between personal grief and social norms.
- This dissonance can lead to psychopathological outcomes.
Impact:
- Provides a novel theoretical lens (socio-semiotic) for analyzing grief after stillbirth.
- Identifies the societal role in complicating the mourning process.
- Offers practical recommendations for healthcare providers and society to support bereaved parents.