387
Views
26
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Predicting depressive symptoms and grief after pregnancy loss

, , , &
Pages 274-279 | Received 03 Oct 2007, Accepted 26 Feb 2008, Published online: 07 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Women who experience pregnancy loss are at high risk for depression and grief. We conducted a prospective cohort study to identify antenatal predictors of depressive symptoms and grief following pregnancy loss. Particular emphasis was given to the potential role of religiosity and spirituality. In multivariable linear regression models, depressive symptoms were significantly positively associated with baseline depression score and a history of mental illness. Depression scores were significantly inversely associated with age. Increasing age was also protective against post-pregnancy loss grief, as was participation in organized religious activities. Clinicians should be particularly alert to signs of depression following pregnancy loss in younger women and in women with a history of mental illness during or before pregnancy. The inverse association between religious attendance and grief following pregnancy loss merits further study.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.