2 research outputs found
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Perinatal Loss Experienced by the Parental Couple: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study
Background: At the beginning of 2020, mothers and fathers who experienced perinatal events (from conception to pregnancy
and postpartum period) found themselves facing problems related to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the
associated difficulties for health care centers in providing care. In the unexpected and negative event of perinatal loss (ie,
miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death) more complications occurred. Perinatal loss is a painful and traumatic life experience
that causes grief and can cause affective disorders in the parental couple—the baby dies and the couple’s plans for a family are
abruptly interrupted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, limited access to perinatal bereavement care, due to the lockdown measures
imposed on medical health care centers and the social distancing rules to prevent contagion, was an additional risk factor for
parental mental health, such as facing a prolonged and complicated grief.
Objective: The main aims of this study are as follows: to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mothers and fathers who
experienced perinatal loss during the pandemic, comparing their perceptions; to evaluate their change over time between the first
survey administration after bereavement and the second survey after 6 months; to examine the correlations between bereavement
and anxiety, depression, couple satisfaction, spirituality, and sociodemographic variables; to investigate which psychosocial
factors may negatively affect the mourning process; and to identify the potential predictors of the development of complicated
grief.
Methods: This longitudinal observational multicenter study is structured according to a mixed methods design, with a quantitative
and qualitative section. It will include a sample of parents (mothers and fathers) who experienced perinatal loss during the
COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020. There are two phases—a baseline and a follow-up after 6 months.
Results: This protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Psychological Research, University of Padova, and by the
Institutional Ethics Board of the Spedali Civili of Brescia, Italy. We expect to collect data from 34 or more couples, as determined
by our sample size calculation.
Conclusions: This study will contribute to the understanding of the psychological processes related to perinatal loss and
bereavement care during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will provide information useful to prevent the risk of complicated grief and
psychopathologies among bereaved parents and to promote perinatal mental health.
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/3886
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal loss among Italian couples: A mixed-method study
Background: Perinatal bereavement is an event that greatly impacts the
emotional, psychological, and psychosocial aspects of those who want to
have a child.
Objectives: Since there are few studies on the psychological impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on couples grieving for perinatal loss, this research
aimed to survey this experience.
Participants: Between 2020 and 2021, in Italian provinces highly affected by
the COVID-19 pandemic, 21 parents participated: 16 mothers (76%; mean age
36.2; SD: 3.1) and 5 fathers (24%; mean age 40.2; SD: 3.4), among which
there were 4 couples.
Methods: A mixed-method design was used through self-report
questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Accompanied by a sociodemographic
form, the following questionnaires were administered: Prolonged Grief-13,
the Parental Assessment of Paternal Affectivity (PAPA) (to fathers), the
Parental Assessment of Maternal Affectivity (PAMA) (to mothers), the Dyadic
Adjustment Scale short version, the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, and
the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The texts obtained through the in-depth
interviews underwent thematic analysis.
Results: Fifty per cent of participants suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorders (PTSD) symptoms and 20% suffered from relational dyadic stress.
Four areas of thematic prevalence emerged: psychological complexity of
bereavement, the impact of the COVID-19, disenfranchisement vs. support,
and spirituality and contact with the lost child. Participants interpreted their
distress as related to inadequate access to healthcare services, and perceiving
the pandemic restrictions to be responsible for less support and lower quality
of care. Furthermore, they needed psychological help, and most of them were unable to access this service. Spirituality/religiosity did not help, while contact
with the fetus and burial did.
Conclusion: It is important to implement psychological services in obstetrics
departments to offer adequate support, even in pandemic situations