PREVIOUS STRESS AND ACUTE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENSE AS PREDICTORS OF PERINATAL GRIEF - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY

We evaluated whether the emotional reactions of women at 2-6 weeks aft er the prenatal diagnosis of a lethal anomaly and at 3 months after pe rinatal loss might be predicted by previous stress and acute psycholog ical defence reactions to the diagnosis. Previous stress was defined o bjectively as a history of major life event(s) and having received pro fessional mental health treatment in the past, and subjectively as the disposition for feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Forty-one women w ere interviewed and completed measures on their history of major life events, whether they had received professional mental health treatment in the past, inadequacy, acute psychological defence reactions and pe rinatal grief. Regression analyses showed that inadequacy was the most strongly positive predictor of perinatal grief shortly after receivin g the unfavourable diagnosis and three months after perinatal loss. In addition to inadequacy, having received professional mental health tr eatment in the past led to significantly more intense grief, but only shortly after receiving the unfavourable diagnosis. Previous life even ts intensified grief three months after perinatal death. The grieving process was significantly moderated by the defence of 'principalizatio n' while it was significantly intensified by 'turning aggression again st oneself', but only shortly after receiving the unfavourable diagnos is. These effects were not contaminated by relationships with pregnanc y-related variables. Our findings imply that psychological support for women with perinatal loss should particularly be offered to those who have been identified as generally anxious, who have reported previous major life events and have received professional mental health treatm ent in the past.