Page 211 - Petelin, Ana, Nejc Šarabon, Boštjan Žvanut, eds. 2017. Zdravje delovno aktivne populacije ▪︎ Health of the Working-Age Population. Proceedings. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
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omen‘s Quality of Life during the Grief
Process after Perinatal Death
Tjaša Šapla Troha1, Maša Černelič Bizjak2
1 Community Health Center Nova Gorica, Rejčeva 4, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
2 University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
tjasa.troha90@gmail.com; masa.cernelic@fvz.upr.si
Abstract
Background: Around one fifth of pregnancies worldwide ends in
miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth. Women often do not show
their feelings after these events; they suppress them or do not talk about
their loss. Unresolved grief can affect many aspects of women physical
and mental health in all stages of life. Methods: The study included
108 women who experienced perinatal loss. All of them completed the
Munich Grief Scale questionnaire and a questionnaire on demographic
data. Results: Statistically significant differences in the experience of
grief were associated with gestational age of the child (p < 0.01), the
age of the mother (p < 0.05) and the time that has elapsed since the
child‘s death (p < 0.01). In the clinical setting women judged dealing of
health workers, and reported more understanding and compassionate
treatment at home. The research was the basis for developing protocols
with instructions for handling a situation of stillbirth, focusing on
mental well-being of the mother. Discussion and conclusions: The
qualification of health professionals is very important. They have the first
contact with the mother and at the same time the influence to prevent
the pathological processes of bereavement. Careful planning of health
care and by using the protocol, nurse can gain an insight into the process
of bereavement, and has a tool that focuses on procedures and activities.
Keywords: grief, stillbirth, perinatal death, quality of life
The loss of a child is one of the hardest events, or namely one of the hard-
est and most painful experiences. People often associate grief with a
wound that will slowly heal over time and eventually it will be complete-
ly healed, but the death of a child is more similar to the loss of a limb or its
functioning; namely nothing can heal such a wound completely, in the case of a
loss it can only come to the gradual acceptance and adjustment of the irreplace-
doi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7023-32-9.209-217
Process after Perinatal Death
Tjaša Šapla Troha1, Maša Černelič Bizjak2
1 Community Health Center Nova Gorica, Rejčeva 4, 5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
2 University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
tjasa.troha90@gmail.com; masa.cernelic@fvz.upr.si
Abstract
Background: Around one fifth of pregnancies worldwide ends in
miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth. Women often do not show
their feelings after these events; they suppress them or do not talk about
their loss. Unresolved grief can affect many aspects of women physical
and mental health in all stages of life. Methods: The study included
108 women who experienced perinatal loss. All of them completed the
Munich Grief Scale questionnaire and a questionnaire on demographic
data. Results: Statistically significant differences in the experience of
grief were associated with gestational age of the child (p < 0.01), the
age of the mother (p < 0.05) and the time that has elapsed since the
child‘s death (p < 0.01). In the clinical setting women judged dealing of
health workers, and reported more understanding and compassionate
treatment at home. The research was the basis for developing protocols
with instructions for handling a situation of stillbirth, focusing on
mental well-being of the mother. Discussion and conclusions: The
qualification of health professionals is very important. They have the first
contact with the mother and at the same time the influence to prevent
the pathological processes of bereavement. Careful planning of health
care and by using the protocol, nurse can gain an insight into the process
of bereavement, and has a tool that focuses on procedures and activities.
Keywords: grief, stillbirth, perinatal death, quality of life
The loss of a child is one of the hardest events, or namely one of the hard-
est and most painful experiences. People often associate grief with a
wound that will slowly heal over time and eventually it will be complete-
ly healed, but the death of a child is more similar to the loss of a limb or its
functioning; namely nothing can heal such a wound completely, in the case of a
loss it can only come to the gradual acceptance and adjustment of the irreplace-
doi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7023-32-9.209-217
