SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN COUPLES GRIEF REACTIONS FOLLOWING A MISCARRIAGE - RESULTS FROM A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

Recent studies have documented grief and depressive reactions in women after a miscarriage. However, the men's reactions to their partner's experience have been neglected. Ir a controlled follow-up study, 56 co uples were studied shortly after the miscarriage, and 6 (N = 47) and 1 2 months later (N = 45). The participants completed standardized quest ionnaires for depression, physical complaints, anxiety, and grief. Con trary to commonly held beliefs, men do grieve, but less intensely and enduringly than their partners. The manner in which they experience th eir grief is similar to that of the women, except that the men cry les s and feel less need to talk about it. Unlike the women they do not re act with an increased depressive reaction (compared to age- and sex-ma tched community control groups). Giving up their personal expectations , hopes for, and fantasies about the unborn child is a major source of grieving for both. Some men feel burdened by their wives' grief or de pressive reactions. Conflicting reactions may affect the couples' inte ractions and promote depressive reactions in the women.