The Psychological Sequelae of Miscarriage: A Critical Review of the Literature

Frost, Mary; Condon, John T.

doi:10.3109/00048679609076072

Cited by 117 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…We did not restrict our criteria to any particular definition or operationalization of self-blame, guilt, or shame. Exploratory studies that did not expressly seek to understand selfblame, guilt, or shame yet reported them in their results were excluded because doing so would bias the review by not also including all exploratory studies that did not find evidence of self-blame, guilt, or shame (e.g., Adolfsson, Larsson, Wijma, & Bertero, 2004;Clyman, Green, Rowe, Mikkelsen, & Ataide, 1980;DeFrain, Martens, Stork, & Stork, 1990;DeFrain, Millspaugh, & Xie, 1996;Frost & Condon, 1996;Hsu, Tseng, Banks, & Kuo, 2004;Mandell, McAnulty, & Reece, 1980;Robinson, 2011;Samuelsson, Radestad, & Segesten, 2001;Smialek, 1978;Taub, 1996). 3.…”

Section: Study Eligibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame

Duncan

Cacciatore

2015

Omega (Westport)

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This is the first systematic review of the evidence on the prevalence of self-blame, guilt, and shame in bereaved parents. A search of PsychINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, and Science Direct resulted in 18 studies for the period 1975 to 2013 which the authors have appraised. Self-blame, guilt, and shame are common in bereaved parents, albeit to varying degrees, with differential relationships to sex, and diminishing over time. There is some evidence that guilt and shame predict more intense grief reactions and that self-blame predicts posttraumatic symptomology, anxiety, and depression in bereaved parents. Heterogeneity of the studies and numerous methodological concerns limit the synthesis and strength of the evidence and the generalizability of the findings. Self-blame, guilt, and shame are commonly experienced by bereaved parents. Awareness of these affective states may assist clinicians in the identification of bereaved parents who are at a higher risk of developing adverse psychological outcomes. Overall, self-blame, guilt, and shame have received very little attention in the bereavement research, leaving many unanswered questions. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed. Self-blame, guilt, and shame are common in bereavement and may hinder the healthy progression of mourning (Buckle & Fleming, 2011;Humphrey, 2009;Rando, 1986 , 1989). However, self-blame, guilt, and shame have received relatively little attention in parental bereavement research. Reviews of guilt and shame in bereavement are either not current or comprehensive, narrative in style and therefore more susceptible to researcher bias or focused on various types of bereavement rather than parental bereavement specifically (Buckle & Fleming, 2011;Humphrey, 2009;Rando, 1986). Miles and Demi (1986) have proposed the only current theory of guilt in bereaved parents. While clinicians acknowledge that self-blame, guilt, and shame often hinder the progression of normal grieving, there are currently no robust, empirically tested theories of self-blame, guilt, and shame in bereaved parents to guide either diagnoses or interventions. This is the first systematic review of the literature on self-blame, guilt, and shame in bereaved parents characterized by a specific research question, inclusion and exclusion criteria, an explicit search strategy, systematic data extraction procedure, coding and analysis of the studies, methodological appraisal, and a synthesis of the available evidence text. These characteristics reduce the likelihood of reviewer bias or selective citation and provide readers with the information necessary to appraise both the included studies and the systematic review itself (Mulrow, 1994;Pai et al., 2004).Defining Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame Both guilt and shame are self-conscious emotions involving self-blame (Tangney & Salovey, 1999) and, because they are intimately related, they are more difficult to observe as separate phenomena (Blum, 2008;Kubany & Watson, 2003;Silfver, 2007). ...

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Section: Study Eligibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame

Duncan

Cacciatore

2015

Omega (Westport)

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“…After any delivery, the mother may suffer from complications such as changes in sleep and appetite, and feelings of guilt, stress, shame, and depression, and this is more likely in cases of stillbirth (7). Mental illness can occur after inadequate perinatal care and it is often related to feelings of guilt and self-blame (8). If there is doubt or ambivalence about the pregnancy, or the woman feels she has done something wrong during pregnancy that may have caused the stillbirth (such as exercise, poor diet or smoking), this may prolong the grief process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Cognitive Behavioral-Based Counseling on Grief Symptoms Severity in Mothers After Stillbirth

Navidian

Saravani

2018

Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci

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Background: An active intervention is necessary for the care and support of women who have experienced stillbirth. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of psychological counseling on the severity of grief symptoms in mothers after stillbirth. Methods: We conducted a semi-experimental study on 100 women who had experienced stillbirth in their most recent delivery in a Central Maternity Hospital affiliated to the University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: intervention (n = 50) and control (n = 50). The intervention group received four sessions of small-group psychological counseling over 2 weeks and the control group received the routine postnatal care. We evaluated the severity of grief symptoms in both the groups before the first counseling session as well as at the end of the fourth week following the final session (and at equivalent times in the control group) using the Perinatal Grief Scale. Data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests, chi-square test, and analysis of covariance. Results: The mean total grief symptom score and three subscale scores (active grief, difficulty coping, and despair) were significantly lower in the participants who received psychological counseling than in those who received the routine care (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Counseling significantly reduces grief symptoms, allowing for faster transition from grieving and preventing complicated grief. It is, therefore, necessary to integrate psychological interventions into the care system for mothers.

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“…1 Unfortunately, early pregnancy loss is common, occurring in 10-20% of clinical pregnancies. 2 In traditional medical terminology, miscarriage is referred to as 'abortion'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terminology in early pregnancy loss: what women hear and what clinicians write

Cameron

Penney

2005

Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care

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Objective The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommends that patient-focused terminology be used in early pregnancy care. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether inappropriate terminology is continuing to be used in Scottish gynaecology services. Methods A case note review (1259 records) and a patient survey (648 replies) assessed usage of four inappropriate terms ('abortion', 'blighted ovum', 'incompetent cervix' and 'pregnancy failure') in 18 Scottish hospitals providing secondary care to women with early pregnancy loss. Results Women reported hearing 'abortion' in 4.2% of hospital episodes (95% CI 2.9-6.0), but the term was used in 9.9% (95% CI 8.4-11.7) of hospital records. Conclusion In order to meet national recommendations on terminology for early pregnancy loss, clinicians should not only say 'miscarriage' but also write it.

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The Psychological Sequelae of Miscarriage: A Critical Review of the Literature

Cited by 117 publications

References 80 publications

A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame

A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame

Impact of Cognitive Behavioral-Based Counseling on Grief Symptoms Severity in Mothers After Stillbirth

Terminology in early pregnancy loss: what women hear and what clinicians write

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