Grief after pregnancy loss was predicted by length of pregnancy, neuroticism, psychiatric symptoms, and absence of other children
Objective
To determine the factors that predict grief intensity in women who have a pregnancy loss.
Design
Inception cohort of women followed up for 18 months after an involuntary pregnancy loss.
Setting
The Netherlands.
Patients
2140 recently pregnant women recruited through a notice in a popular family magazine provided information on coping with normal pregnancy, delivery, and complications. 227 women (10.6%) subsequently reported spontaneous loss of the pregnancy and 221 of these were studied. 91% of the losses occurred at <20 weeks of pregnancy, 97% of the women were married or in stable relationships, mean age was 29 years, 32% did not have children, and 41% had had a previous pregnancy loss. Follow up was 94%.
Assessment of prognostic factors
Risk factors were assessed using the Dutch version of the Symptom Checklist-90 (psychiatric symptoms) and the Dutch Personality Questionnaire that included information on neuroticism (low self esteem, social inadequacy, general inadequacy, …
