ABSTRACT

First published in 1997, this volume studied families bereaved by perinatal or infant death, including factors both preceding and following the experience and its effect on areas such as marriage, mental health and future conception, based on interviews with 194 women living in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Tracing the natural history of the first thirty months of their loss, all mothers completed semi-structured interviews and standardized questionnaires at two, eight, fifteen and thirty months following the baby’s death. The study aims to explain and explore these effects and to suggest some potential recommendations for the care and support of women who experience stillbirth, neonatal death or SIDS.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|11 pages

The death of a very young child

chapter 2|31 pages

Previous research

chapter 3|16 pages

The study methods

chapter 5|16 pages

The impact on other life domains

chapter 7|10 pages

Overview and conclusions