The Death of a Newborn Twin: An Analysis of Parental Bereavement

Abstract

The emotional responses of eight families who lost a singleton newborn were compared with those of eight families who lost a twin. The mean gestational age of the babies in both groups was 31 weeks. At a mean time of 15 months following their loss, parents were sent a questionnaire which requested that they report their responses during the first six weeks following their baby's death and their present response to this experience. Embedded in the questionnaire was a 20-item depression symptom inventory. Analysis of variance indicated that although mothers experienced significantly more depressive symptoms than fathers (F = 59.48, P = .001) and that all symptoms had diminished greatly over time (F = 6.02, P = .032), there was no significant difference between the parents who had lost a twin and those who had lost a singleton. However, family, friends, and hospital staff frequently ignored or downplayed the death of the twin assuming that the grief of the parents would be minimal because of the surviving twin. Results of this study indicate that the presence of a living twin in no way lessens the grieving process and that a conscious effort needs to be made to allow parents to express openly their feelings of loss when a twin dies.