Social Support in Perinatal Grief and Mothers’ Continuing Bonds: A Qualitative Study With Italian Mourners

Abstract

The grieving process after perinatal loss has unique properties. This qualitative study examines one aspect of the grieving process: continuing bonds experienced by the mothers. We offer an interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews with 15 Italian mothers. Three main relevant themes emerged: “continuing bonds between externalized and internalized presence,” “a difficult guilt to manage,” and “relationships are crucial support systems.” The first one illustrates the ongoing connections to the deceased on the part of mothers and siblings, the second one explores a fixation on finding the cause of the death and related feelings of guilt, while the third one describes the mothers’ process of elaboration of the event, especially with the support of the husband and the community. The findings highlight unique qualities of continuing bonds after perinatal loss and factors that might influence mother’s griefwork, while also suggesting that psychodrama and art therapy could be useful in the management of this kind of loss.

Exploring the Social Networks of Women Bereaved by Stillbirth: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

“…The findings of this study confirm earlier studies that have reported that bereavement leads to relationship changes [7,8,10]. The factors that influenced relationship changes in this study: shame [5,13], the unmet expectation of support [2] and mistrust [2,10] have been confirmed separately by other studies. Of the three factors that influenced the participants' social networks, shame/stigma has received the most attention in stillbirth research.…”

“…As a result of social withdrawal due to stigma, women's social networks may become smaller, disconnected, or underresourced [10][11][12] and their family may emerge as the primary source of support [1,2]. However, the social ramifications of stillbirths extend beyond the family [1,13]. Even if the family was supportive, the bereaved mother would need others outside the family to successfully reintegrate back into society [4].…”

Conflicts Between Women's Religiosity and Sense of Free Will in the Context of Elective Abortion: A Qualitative Study in the Worst Period of Italy's COVID-19 Crisis

“…Existing literature on potential grief following an elective abortion is scarce, and most studies indicate that the majority of women who have elective abortions do not experience significant emotional or mental health problems (28,29). However, some scholars have identified a subgroup of women who are negatively affected by this experience (1,24,(30)(31)(32), particularly young women (33). Scholars explored the possibility that an elective abortion has the potential to elicit a short-term grief response (34).…”

The Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale and the Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief: The Italian Validation of Two Instruments for Meaning-Focused Assessments of Bereavement

“…On the other hand, individuals respond to loss at symbolic as well as biological levels, ascribing significance to the symptoms of separation experienced and to the changes in social relationships caused by the death of a beloved person [ 1 , 2 ]. A major loss, such as the disappearance or death of a loved one, can cause severe grief and carries important consequences for daily life [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Mourners experience and express grief uniquely and differently from each other, based on their cultural and family background, life experiences, personal values, and deepest beliefs [ 6 ].…”