Perinatal loss: a family perspective.

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Health
• Grief and Bereavement Studies
• Family Psychology

Background:

• Perinatal loss encompasses miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and neonatal death, creating a unique mourning experience tied to parental identity.
• Societal support and expectations for mourning perinatal loss are often absent, complicating the grieving process.
• Existing literature highlights gender differences in grief responses, as well as the grief experienced by siblings and grandparents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the multifaceted nature of perinatal loss and its impact on childbearing families.
• To review and synthesize existing research on cultural responses, gender differences, and familial grief in perinatal loss.
• To examine the evolution and effectiveness of nursing interventions designed to support health and healing after perinatal loss.

Main Methods:

• Review of descriptive studies and existing literature on perinatal loss.
• Analysis of identified gender differences, sibling, and grandparent grief.
• Examination of nursing interventions developed over the past two decades.

Main Results:

• Perinatal loss results in a profound and unique grieving process for families.
• Cultural responses and familial grief dynamics (gender, siblings, grandparents) vary.
• Nursing interventions have advanced to promote healing, focusing on meaning-making, rituals, mementos, presence, and validation.

Conclusions:

• Perinatal loss requires specialized understanding and support due to its profound impact on parental identity.
• Effective nursing interventions are vital for promoting health and healing, emphasizing narrative, ritual, and tangible remembrance.
• Further outcome evaluations of interventions are recommended to refine best practices in supporting families experiencing perinatal loss.