ABSTRACT
This chapter presents study to gain a greater understanding of some of the psychosocial impacts of perinatal and infant death on women and of some of the factors that might help women in their adaptation to such a loss. At its broadest level, the study has investigated the degree to which an extremely stressful life event may be associated with psychological distress among women in the short to medium term. The findings of this study are based on a more rigorous research design than has been used in most previous studies of bereavement following perinatal or infant death. Any longitudinal study also needs to consider broader indicators of psychosocial wellbeing, including the quality and status of the marital relationship and women’s general health. Although community studies suggest that mothers caring for young children constitute a high risk group for mental health problems, such a result was somewhat unexpected in the study.
