A mixed methods sequential explanatory study of the psychosocial factors that impact on midwives’ confidence to provide bereavement support to parents who have experienced a perinatal loss'
Abstract
Background Perinatal bereavement is traumatic for many parents. Not only is the experience itself emotionally painful, the impact on their lives is made more difficult if midwives are unable to provide appropriate care to the parents.Aim of the study To explore within an Irish context, the psychosocial factors that impact on midwives' confidence to provide bereavement support to parents who have experienced a perinatal loss.Design A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was used to complete this two-phased study from August 2013 to July 2014. Ethical approval was granted from Ethics Committees of three maternity hospitals and a University in Ireland. The recruitment process for the survey occurred in August 2013 and July 2014 for the focus groups.Methods A series of univariate and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the quantitative data using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; version 20). The qualitative data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Steps were taken to ensure data validity and reliability.Results The overall meta-inference of this study is that the majority of the midwives did not have adequate levels of confidence to provide bereavement support to grieving parents. The psychosocial factors that impact on midwives' confidence were identified as the midwives' awareness of the needs of bereaved parents, their own inner strength and the organizational support they received at their place of work.Conclusion Improving midwives' bereavement support knowledge and skills is essential for promoting their confidence. Midwives also need adequate emotional and practical support from their organizations.
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Current provision of perinatal bereavement care education for healthcare professionals is not meeting their needs for clinical practice.
“The findings of the studies suggest that the current provision of perinatal bereavement care education for healthcare professionals is currently not meeting their needs for clinical practice (Agwu Kalu et al., 2018; Due et al., 2018).”
From Integrative Review of Emotional Care Following Perinatal Loss (2021) · cites this paper as Agwu Kalu et al., 2018
Majority of healthcare professionals do not have adequate confidence (bereavement knowledge and skills) to provide effective care to grieving parents.
“The studies carried out by Agwu Kalu et al. (2018) and Due et al. (2018) showed that majority of healthcare professionals in the study do not have adequate levels of confidence (bereavement knowledge and skills) to providing effective care to grieving parents.”
From Integrative Review of Emotional Care Following Perinatal Loss (2021) · cites this paper as Agwu Kalu et al., 2018
Delivering quality bereavement care to parents can cause stress and anxiety for health care professionals, especially if they feel poorly prepared for this role.
“Delivering quality bereavement care to parents can cause stress and anxiety for health care professionals, especially if they feel poorly prepared for this role (Agwu Kalu et al., 2018; Laing et al., 2020).”
From Stranger in a mask” midwives’ experiences of providing perinatal bereavement care to parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland: a qualitative descriptive study (2022) · cites this paper as Agwu Kalu et al., 2018
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References 43 · Cited by 42
- Authors
- Agwu Kalu, F., Coughlan, B., & Larkin, P.
- Affiliations
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Venue
- Midwifery
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-09
- Volume
- 64
- Pages
- 69-76
- ISSN
- 0266-6138 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2809659004
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 3.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Midwifery (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Keywords
- perinatal bereavement, bereavement support, psychosocial factors, perinatal loss, organizational support, bereaved parents, midwifery practice
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, Bereavement, Female, Humans, Ireland, Male, Middle Aged, Nurse Midwives, Nursing Care, Pregnancy, Psychology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Support, Self Efficacy, Qualitative Research
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