Initial Impact of Perinatal Loss on Mothers and Their Partners.

(1) Background: Perinatal Loss affects one in ten women worldwide. It is known to have a deep impact on the physical and psychological wellbeing of the mother. Moreover, there is a lack of information in regard to gender differences. The role of culture, environment, personal characteristics, and gender is yet to be determined in most reports; (2) Objective and Methods: Our aim is to study the initial impact of perinatal losses in an unselected sample of couples, focusing on gender differences. We conducted a longitudinal prospective study with 29 mothers and 17 fathers. Upon discharge from the hospital, they filled out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), among others. After one-month post-loss, they performed the EPDS and the Short Version of the Perinatal Grief Scale. We used descriptive statistics for the sample and non-parametric tests for the comparison of gender; (3) Results: We found no gender differences in initial depressive symptoms, nor in depressive symptoms, perinatal grief symptoms, or grief level (total scores or complicated grief) one month after the loss; (4) Conclusions: we need to better understand the psychological evolution of couples in cases of perinatal loss without falling into preconceived ideas about the influence of gender.

Muerte perinatal: acompañamiento a mujeres y parejas / Perinatal death: accompanying women and couples

OBJETIVO: Analizar las intervenciones que llevan a cabo los profesionales para mejorar la atención brindada a las mujeres y a sus parejas ante una pérdida perinatal. MÉTODO: Es una revisión de la bibliografía internacional publicada en los últimos 10 años sobre intervenciones para mejorar la atención que se brinda a las parejas ante la muerte de un hijo. RESULTADOS: Se observa un déficit en la formación de los profesionales sanitarios relacionada con este tema y se identifican nuevas actuaciones cuyo objetivo es mejorar la atención a las parejas. CONCLUSIONES: No podemos concluir que la «creación de recuerdos» mejore los resultados psicosociales, pero sí la información adaptada durante el proceso, y la matrona es la profesional idónea para ello. No obstante, es necesario mejorar la formación y los recursos de los profesionales para poder ofrecer una atención de calidad

OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this review is to analyze the interventions carried out by professionals to improve the care provided to women and their partners in the face of perinatal loss. METHOD: Is a review of the literature published in the last 10 years on interventions to improve the care provided to couples on the death of a child worldwide. RESULTS: Show a deficit in the training of health professionals related to this topic and identify new actions that aim to improve care for couples. CONCLUSIONS: We cannot conclude that the «creation of memories» improves the psychosocial results, but if the information adapted during the process, and the midwife is the ideal professional for it. However, it is necessary to improve the training and resources of professionals in order to offer quality care