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Stillbirth at Term: Grief Theories for Care of Bereaved Women and Families in Intrapartum Settings
Author(s) -
Black Beth Perry
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1111/jmwh.13108
Subject(s) - grief , disenfranchised grief , psychology , traumatic grief , pregnancy , nursing , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , medicine , genetics , biology
Death in intrapartum settings poses a paradox for providers, whose expertise may be limited in assisting bereaved women and families facing the trauma of stillbirth. Many providers are familiar with Kübler‐Ross’ stage theory of grief; however, more recent theories augment her early work in care of bereaved persons. Through an evolving case study of a couple for whom pregnancy ends in stillbirth at term, 4 theories of grief—loss of the assumptive world, the dual process model, continuing bonds, and complicated grief—are presented to assist intrapartum care providers toward more comprehensive understanding of the complexities of grief responses not fully explained by simple stage theory. These 4 theories are not prescriptive, nor are they comprehensive; however, they are highly relevant and foundational for current understanding of responses and needs of bereaved women and families for whom pregnancy ends in death.