Relational Sequelae of Fetal Death During the First Pregnancy

A Qualitative Study on the Subjective Perceptions of the Relationship Between Mothers and Their Adult Subsequent Firstborn Children

Bibliographic Data

ID13627610
AuthorsCaterina Saccardo (University of Padua), Vincenzo Calvo (0000-0002-9828-0551, University of Padua, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume85
Issue3
Pages604-627
Publication date2020-08-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0030222820950891
PMID32830597
OpenAlexW3081056906
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited49

Perinatal loss may deeply affect the attachment relationships of mothers and their next-born children. The aim was to explore the subjective perceptions of mothers, who had fetal death during the first pregnancy, and their adult subsequent firstborn children regarding the impact of the perinatal loss on the mother-child relationship and children's self-perception. Fifteen mothers who experienced a fetal death during the first pregnancy and their adult subsequent firstborn children were interviewed. A Grounded Theory approach was used. Five main themes were identified: fetal death as a real loss producing prolonged grief; the importance of the communication about the dead sibling; creating and maintaining a relationship with the lost sibling; the mother-subsequent child relationship: between detachment and overprotection; significant effects of fetal death on adult subsequent children's self-perception. Results highlighted a deep impact of fetal death on the subsequent mother-child relationship, as perceived by both mothers and adult children

Affect (linguistics · Birth order · Developmental psychology · Fetal death · Fetus · Firstborn · Grief · Grounded theory · Perception · Population · Pregnancy · Psychiatry · Qualitative research · Sibling · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology

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