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An analysis of the effects of intervention from a perinatal grief support team was
begun in 1982. Seventy-eight women experiencing stillbirth or early perinatal death
were randomly assigned to either the grief support team's protocol of care or to the
control group who received routine hospital care. Assessment was carried out on 34
participants, 16 from the control group and 18 from the treatment, 6 months after
delivery. A three-part self-administered, self-rating grief index questionnaire was
used. There was no statistical difference on overall grief scores between the two
matched groups. The treatment group reported significantly lower scores than the control
group on the two grief subscales of anger-hostility and physical symptoms. Women who
reported more life changes before the perinatal death tended to have fewer problems
with the symptomatology of grief. Social support was an important variable in explaining
grief symptomatology. Women reporting low levels of social support who were in the
treatment group had significantly lower mean scores on the grief subscales of anger-hostility,
somatic experience, physical symptoms, and problems with vigor.
Key words
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References
- Support after perinatal death: a study of support and counseling after perinatal death.Br Med J. 1982; 285: 1475
- The role of a grief support team following stillbirth.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1983; 146: 877
- The social readjustment rating scale.J Psycholom Res. 1967; 11: 213
- Typologies and symptoms of adult bereavement [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of South Florida, Department of Psychology, Tampa, Florida1977
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
June 3,
1987
Received:
April 6,
1987
Identification
Copyright
© 1987 C. V. Mosby Company. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
