The Effect of Psychotherapy Interventions After Stillbirth on the Grief Process and Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
This study aimed to provide a systematic overview of existing quantitative research on the effects of psychotherapy interventions given to women with stillbirth on the grief process and depression in the postpartum period and to analyze the results. Four databases (PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane, Google Scholar, Web of Science) were searched between January-March 2024. Risk of bias and precision of evidence were assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool ROB-2 and ROBIN-1. Ten studies were included. Meta-analysis results showed that psychotherapeutic interventions significantly reduced the grief adaptations of mothers in the mourning process and there was a significant difference in the assessment of grief adaptation. Sub-group analyzes revealed mothers' depression values and stress levels compared to the control groups and there was a significant difference between the groups. Psychotherapeutic interventions given to women positively affect their grief adaptation and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. PROSPERO ID: CRD42024516195.
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Psychological support provided by nurses and midwives can significantly reduce the emotional burden on parents and improve their psychological outcomes.
“Researchers have demonstrated that psychological support provided by nurses and midwives can significantly reduce the emotional burden on parents, improving their psychological outcomes (Fernández-Férez et al., 2021; Xie et al., 2024; Yıldız Karaahmet and Bilgiç, 2024).”
From Nurses' and midwives' experiences of supporting parents following perinatal bereavement: A qualitative systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Yıldız Karaahmet and Bilgiç, 2024
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“…grief and interventions, consisting of 46 articles, including 26 qualitative, 19 quantitative and one mixed methods article, it was reported that men ’ s grief experiences are quite diverse and that existing grief measures do not cover all the complexities of grief for men (Obst et al., 2020).”
Support after perinatal death: a study of support and counselling after perinatal bereavement
Forrest, G. C., Standish, E., & Baum, J. D. (1982) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.285.6353.1475 · Cited by 221 · cited 1× · see citing works
“It was removed only because no feedback was received from the authors (Forrest et al., 1982).”
Kersting, A., Dölemeyer, R., Steinig, J., Walter, F., Kroker, K., Baust, K., & Wagner, B. (2013) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000348713 · Cited by 210 · cited 6× · see citing works
“(Johnson et al., 2016), three studies of cognitive behavioral therapy (Kersting et al., 2011, 2013; Navidian & Saravani, 2018), one study of grief team and support team (Lake et al., 1987).”
InfluentialThe mental health impact of perinatal loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Herbert, D., Young, K., Pietrusińska, M., & MacBeth, A. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.026 · Cited by 146 · cited 2× · see citing works
“After stillbirth, the entire family is affected by this situation and needs various support and care (Goldenberg et al., 2011; Herbert et al., 2022; Persson et al., 2023; Shakespeare et al., 2020; Westby et al., 2021).”
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review
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“In addition, cultural differences and beliefs may also affect this process (Bakhbakhi et al., 2023; Hildingsson et al., 2024; Persson et al., 2023; Shakespeare et al., 2020; Westby et al., 2021).”
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Evaluation of a perinatal grief support team
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Qualitative interpretive metasynthesis of parents' experiences of perinatal loss
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Individual counseling in mothers bereaved by pregnancy loss: a randomized clinical trial
Haghighi, M., Oladbaniadam, K., Mohaddesi, H., & Rasuli, J. (2022) · Journal of Education and Health Promotion · doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_1765_21 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
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Gao, H., Iwunze, C. J., An, X., Zhou, T., & Curtin, M. (2026) · International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances · doi:10.1016/j.ijnsa.2026.100538 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Yıldız Karaahmet, A., & Bilgiç, F. Ş.
- Affiliations
- Haliç University
- Haliç University (TR)
- Corresponding author
- Bilgiç, Fatma Şule
- ORCID
- Bilgiç, Fatma Şule
- Venue
- OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2024-08-09
- Volume
- 93
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1846-1875
- ISSN
- 0030-2228 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-3764
- OpenAlex
- W4401467596
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4
- FWCI
- 0.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University AVESIS (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
- Keywords
- stillbirth, psychotherapeutic interventions, grief process, postpartum depression, postpartum stress, postpartum anxiety, mothers
- MeSH terms
- Grief Therapy, Adaptation, Psychological, Depression, Female, Grief, Humans, Mothers, Pregnancy, Psychotherapy, Stillbirth
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