Issues concerning parents after the death of their newborn
Abstract
Thirty-five families were interviewed by members of the intensive care nursery staff 2-4 months after the death of their newborn. Of the families interviewed, 74% wanted to review the events leading to their child's death and ask questions about information they already knew. Most families who were interested in the autopsy findings used the results to find out "how normal everything else was." Topics frequently discussed by parents involved feelings of guilt and problems that arose after the infant's death (isolation by friends, somatic complaints, marital and sexual problems, memories of prior losses, problems with siblings and disposal of baby's things). One-third of the families were felt to need continuing emotional support due to their inability to assume previously accepted responsibilities. For many families, the physician may be the only individual who can tolerate listening to their distress.
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In studies on neonatal loss not eligible for inclusion, parents reported feelings similar to those following miscarriage or stillbirth.
“However, in studies on neonatal loss not eligible for inclusion [4, 118, 119], parents reported feelings similar to those following miscarriage or stillbirth.”
From Men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal loss: a systematic review and emerging theoretical model (2020) · cites this paper as [118]
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- Authors
- CLYMAN, R. I., GREEN, C., ROWE, J., MIKKELSEN, C., & ATAIDE, L.
- Venue
- Critical Care Medicine
- Published
- 1980-04
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 215-218
- ISSN
- 0090-3493 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2064978015
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 1.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Critical Care Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Keywords
- neonatal death, parental grief, parents of newborns, autopsy, guilt, social isolation, marital problems, bereavement, emotional support, physician-patient communication, intensive care nursery
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Attitude to Death, Autopsy, Female, Grief, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Newborn, Diseases, Male, Parents, Physician-Patient Relations, Professional-Family Relations, Social Adjustment
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