Psychological Consequences of Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death in a Sample of Bereaved Parents

Abstract

This study aimed to explore a broad range of psychological reactions to trauma in a sample of bereaved parents in order to assess whether the traumatic framework is adequate for describing the entire range of emotional reactions to infant death. A sample of bereaved parents (N = 455) who lost their child through perinatal or postnatal loss were compared to a control group of parents (N = 110) who gave birth to a healthy child. Multivariate regression analysis clearly demonstrated that bereaved parents scored significantly higher on the Depression, Anxiety, Dissociation, Sleep Disturbances, Somatization, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Aggression subscales of the Trauma Symptom Checklist. Consistent with previous studies, the results showed that for up to 5 years postloss bereaved parents expressed elevated levels of trauma-specific and psychological outcomes, in particular interpersonal sensitivity and aggression.

Keywords:

• multivariate regression
• parental bereavement
• perinatal loss
• postnatal loss
• trauma

Notes

Note. Bereaved parents, n = 455; comparison sample, n = 110.

*p < .05; **p < .005; ***p = .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Siobhan Murphy

Siobhan Murphy is a PhD researcher at the University of Ulster, Magee Campus. Her research focuses on early environmental influences on psychosis, looking specifically at childhood traumatic experiences.

Mark Shevlin

Mark Shevlin is a professor of psychology at the University of Ulster, Magee Campus. His research focuses on how contemporary statistical modeling techniques can advance our understanding of the nature of psychosis.

Ask Elklit

Ask Elklit is a professor of clinical psychology and head of the Danish National Center for Psychotraumatology. He has conducted a large number of studies on many different trauma populations as well as studies on treatment of PTSD.