PREDICTORS OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES GRIEF REACTIONS FOLLOWING INFANT DEATH - THE ROLE OF MARITAL INTIMACY

This follow-up study examined how bereaved couples' grief reactions ch ange over dime and how the quality of the marriage can predict these r eactions for men and women. A group of 31 bereaved couples who 2 to 4 years earlier had lost an infant (>20 weeks gestation and <1 year of a ge) were revisited in their home 24 months after the initial home visi t. With the exception of somatization, couples' grief reactions were l ess intense at follow-up than at the initial visit. Overall, husbands experienced less guilt, meaninglessness, yearning, and morbid fear tha n wives. Both husbands and wives who reported lower levels of marital intimacy soon after the loss experienced more intense grief at follow- up. Finally, couples continued to be vulnerable to a resurgence of gri ef even gears later.