Mothers' and Fathers' Grief Responses Following A Spontaneous Abortion

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences between mothers 1 and fathers 1 grief responses following a spontaneaus abortion. Subjects, fourteen couples .and three married females who recently experienced a spontaneaus abortion, were obtained through announcements in grief support group newsletters and an employee publi,cation of a.universi'ty and a classified advertisement. Data for this retrospective study were collected through mailed questionnaires: a demographic data questionnaire,_the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and the Impact of Event Scale. Data were analyzed ~sing descriptive statistics, t-tests and Pearson prodüct moment correl ati an coeffi ci ents .. Mothers secred significantly higher than fathers an the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and on the I ntrus i veness subsca 1 e· of the Impact of Event Sca 1 e. There was not a s i gni fi cant di fference between mothers 1 . and fa thers 1 scores an the. Avoidance subscale of the Impact of Event Scale. A positive association was found between mothers with previous pregnancy lasses and their scores an the Hopkins Symptom Checkliste This was not true for fatherse Parents who saw ultrasound images of the fetus prior to the spontaneaus abortion secred signi_ficantly higher on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and the lntrusiveness subscale of the Impact of Event Scale. Research findings can be used to modify current practice. Through education about the grief process following a spontaneaus abortion, parents, consumers and health care professionals can gain an increas.ed · awareness of the impact of the event. Further research in this area needs to be directed towards the influence of social class,: ethnic group, marital status, gestational age, and paternal-fetal affiliation an grief responses.