Hjem. Janssen et al., A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF RISK-FACTORS PREDICTING GRIEF INTENSITY FOLLOWING PREGNANCY LOSS, Archives of general psychiatry, 54(1), 1997, pp. 56-61
Background: This prospective longitudinal study investigated which sel
ected person-oriented, social environment, demographic, and pregnancy-
related risk factors could best predict women's grief intensity follow
ing pregnancy loss. Method: In a prospective longitudinal study, 2140
pregnant women within 12 weeks' gestation answered a first questionnai
re in writing. Of this sample, 227 women experienced an involuntary pr
egnancy loss and were followed up for a period of 18 months, during wh
ich grief was reassessed four times, using the Perinatal Grief Scale.
The prospectively measured risk factors were hierarchically ordered an
d linked to each woman's individual grief response over time. Results:
The hypothesized risk factors, with the exception of a prior pregnanc
y loss, significantly related to grief intensity following the pregnan
cy loss and together explained 35% of the variance in grief scores amo
ng subjects. Gestational age, preloss neurotic personality, preloss ps
ychiatric symptoms, and family composition showed the strongest relati
on to grief intensity following a pregnancy loss. Only psychiatric sym
ptoms showed an interaction with time in that the women who evidenced
more psychiatric symptoms before the pregnancy loss showed more intens
e grief shortly following the pregnancy loss. The other risk factors h
ad a constant effect, irrespective of the time that had passed since t
he loss. Conclusion: A relatively long preloss pregnancy, a more neuro
tic personality, more preloss psychiatric symptoms, and the absence of
living children appear to be important risk factors for stronger grie
f responses in women following a pregnancy loss.