Affect regulation among bereaved parents following perinatal death: a systematic review of quantitative studies

Perinatal death has profound psychological and physical consequences. Understanding how bereaved parents regulate negative affect may help explain variability in adjustment and inform interventions. However, two important gaps remain. First, existing reviews in the field include very limited evidence on parents following perinatal death. Second, these reviews have focused primarily on emotion regulation processes, although emotion regulation is only one way to regulate affective experiences.

This review synthesises quantitative evidence on affect regulation (AR) following perinatal death, using Gross's (2024) AR framework to organise and interpret findings. It also explores differences between mothers and fathers, and according to the timing of death.

Four databases were searched. The identified strategies were mapped onto four AR domains of Gross's (2024) framework.

Only six cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria. Parents were reported to use multiple co-occurring AR strategies, with none predominating. All strategies fell within the coping domain. Other AR domains - emotion regulation, mood regulation, and impulse regulation - have not yet been investigated quantitatively. None of the included studies compared AR strategies between mothers and fathers, precluding conclusions about differences. Only one study reported AR strategies separately by timing of death, suggesting broadly similar strategies following stillbirth and neonatal death, although comparisons were descriptive and not statistically tested.

Quantitative research on AR following perinatal death remains limited and has focused almost exclusively on coping-related processes. Broader assessments of AR and longitudinal designs are needed to advance knowledge and inform interventions.