Are individual differences of attachment predicting bereavement outcome after perinatal loss? A prospective cohort study

Grief Intensity, Psychological Well‐Being, and the Intimate Partner Relationship in the Subsequent Pregnancy after a Perinatal Loss

“…Pregnancy loss may stimulate growth or cause crisis in the relationship because couples are unable to support each other. In previous research, a high‐quality current partner relationship had a protective effect for bereaved women after perinatal loss and was associated with less grief, anxiety, and depression (Scheidt et al., ). Couples who cannot negotiate the challenges to a relationship caused by a perinatal loss may experience varied and long‐lasting effects.…”

Grief reactions of couples to perinatal loss: A one‐year prospective follow‐up

“…A prospective study (Swanson et al, 2007) reported that most women who had undergone a miscarriage showed significantly less distress 6 weeks after their loss. Most studies, however, report that grief after a perinatal loss declines during the subsequent 9 months to 2 years (Janssen et al, 1997;Lasker & Toedter, 1991;Scheidt et al, 2012). Although grief is a natural, nonpathological phenomenon, it can lead to complicated grief, in which symptoms are more disruptive, pervasive or long-lasting.…”

“…Over the past two decades, there have been diverse findings on the types of variables that predict grief after a perinatal loss. It is widely reported that the marital relationship (Badenhorst & Hughes, 2007;Cacciatore, DeFrain, Jones, & Jones, 2008;Kersting & Wagner, 2012;Lasker & Toedter, 2000;Scheidt et al, 2012;Swanson, Connor, Jolley, Pettinato, & Wang, 2007;Toedter, Lasker, & Janssen, 2001) and social support (Cacciatore, 2013;Kersting & Wagner, 2012;Lasker & Toedter, 2000;Scheidt et al, 2012;Toedter et al, 2001) are the best predictors of the changing severity of grief of couples after a perinatal loss. Gender (Beutel, Willner, Deckardt, Von Rad, & Weiner, 1996;Toedter et al, 2001) and a subsequent successful pregnancy (Lasker & Toedter, 2000;Swanson et al, 2007;Toedter et al, 2001), age (Toedter et al, 2001), substantial involvement with religion (Cowchock, Lasker, Toedter, Skumanich, & Koenig, 2010;McIntosh, Silver, & Wortman, 1993), having a living child before the loss (Adolfsson, Bertero, & Larsson, 2006;Janssen, Cuisinier, de Graauw, & Hoogduin, 1997;Kersting & Wagner, 2012) and having a shorter period of gestation before the loss (Janssen et al, 1997;Toedter et al, 2001) seem to be associated with a lower level of grief after the loss of a pregnancy, but the findings are still inconsistent.…”

Parents bereaved by infant death: sex differences and moderation in PTSD, attachment, coping and social support

“…Coping and social support are both affected by social, personal and cultural factors. One such factor associated with PTSD in bereaved parents is attachment [2,14,15]. Securely attached individuals are more resilient, as they cope more efficiently with stress and receive more social support [16][17][18].…”