Keywords
caregivers
support
couples
bereavement
perinatal
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction
Maternity units are supposed to be places that welcome new life, but sometimes things do not go as hoped. Many mistakenly believe that the death of a baby, known for only a few hours or days, has less impact than the death of an older child. However, the sense of loss experienced by parents is equally profound.
Purpose
The objective of this study was to assess the opinions of caregivers on supporting couples in perinatal bereavement at the Kintambo Maternity Hospital in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Methods
This descriptive study was conducted at the Kintambo Maternity Ward in Kinshasa, focusing on caregivers' opinions regarding the support of couples during perinatal bereavement. A survey was used to explore the issue and collect data, aiming to describe and understand the phenomenon from the perspective of those involved. Additionally, face-to-face interviews were employed as a data collection technique, allowing caregivers to express their views.
Results
The results show that 56% of the caregivers interviewed were men and 46% were women. However, 41% of caregivers expressed a favourable opinion regarding the support of couples during perinatal bereavement, while 59% expressed an unfavourable opinion. Furthermore, 25.4% of caregivers believed that emotional involvement is an obstacle to supporting couples, 20.3% lacked in-depth knowledge about perinatal bereavement support, 35.5% showed a lack of empathy, and 18.6% of caregivers displayed a lack of psychological stability.
Conclusion
Supporting a couple during perinatal bereavement is challenging and requires a range of personal skills and significant self-awareness. A caregiver, dealing with both their own emotions and those of the couple, can be a custodian of suffering. It is essential for caregivers to harness their emotions positively, using them as a strength rather than fearing them, in order to better understand and care for those in mourning.
References
Alex Kollo Coaching & Tools, Maltby, J., & Baynton, M. A. (2023). Loss and Grief: Understanding diverse responses to grief and ways of coping with the death of a loved one or another significant loss. Workplace Strategies for Mental Health Magazine. https://www.strategiesdesantementale.com/ressources/perte-et-deuil
Charbel, S. (2015). Psychopathological manifestations in mothers of those abducted during the Lebanese war (1975-1990): From the Penelope complex to paradoxical grief [Doctoral dissertation, University of Strasbourg]. HAL. https://theses.hal.science/tel-01292591/file/SKAFF_Charbel_2015_ED519.pdf
Curtet, R. (2020). Parents in perinatal grief: “There is a real need!” Infirmiers.com. https://www.infirmiers.com/etudiants/parents-en-deuil-perinatal-il-y-un-vrai-besoin
Dumoulin, M. (2012). Perinatal death: Support in hospitals. In End of Life, Ethics and Society (pp. 322–333). https://doi.org/10.3917/eres.hirsc.2012.01.0322
Dumoulin, M., & Bayle, B. (2017). Chapter 13: Supporting perinatal grief: The death of very young children. In Perinatal Psychiatry and Psychopathology (pp. 114–123). https://doi.org/10.3917/dunod.bayle.2017.01.0114
Epidemiological Obstetric, Perinatal, and Pediatric Research Team (EPOPé), Center for Epidemiological and Statistical Research Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 1153. (2015). RéMI-Reduction of infant and perinatal mortality in Seine-Saint-Denis. Epidemiological overview and audit of perinatal and neonatal deaths. National Institute of Health and Medical Research. http://www.urps-sf-idf.fr/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Rapport_REMIp_INSERM_VDEF.pdf
Frechette Piperni. (2008). Perinatal grief: Understanding to better support – A guide for nurses, midwives, and hospital and community healthcare providers. Centre de santé et de services sociaux Pierre-Boucher, Pierre-Boucher Hospital.
Freud, S. (1919). The uncanny. In The Uncanny and Other Essays, translated by A. Bourguignon. Paris: Gallimard.
Gratadour, L. (2017). Supporting perinatal grief in Seine-Saint-Denis: Women's perspectives from the RéMI audit. Gynaecology and Obstetrics. https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-01591319/document
World Health Organization. (2022). Practical Guide for Suicide Prevention in Countries. https://www.afro.who.int/sites/default/files/2022-11/WHO_LiveLife_French_Final.pdf
World Health Organization. (2021). Grief and Suicide: Guidance for setting up a support group for those left behind. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/67607/WHO_MNH_MBD_00.6_fre.pdf
Sani, L., & Bacqué, M.-F. (2019). Have children who died around birth truly disappeared? Comparison of Italy/France in terms of social acceptance and legal recognition of perinatal grief. In Studies on Death (2019/1, No. 151, pp. 49–65). https://doi.org/10.3917/eslm.151.0049
Talbot, N. (2017). Review of [Fortin, M. F., & Gagnon, J. (2016). Foundations and Steps of the Research Process: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods (3rd ed.)]. Journal of Educational Sciences, 43(1), 264–265. https://doi.org/10.7202/1042088ar
Tarquinio, C., & Montel, S. (2014). Chapter 5. Trauma and Grief. In Psychotrauma (pp. 97–117). https://doi.org/10.3917/dunod.monte.2014.02.0097
Weber, K., Canuto, A., Toma, S., Bonnet, J., Epiney, M., & Girard, E. (2014). Being there when nothing can be done: Support for perinatal grief. Swiss Medical Journal, 10, 390–392. https://doi.org/10.53738/REVMED.2014.10.417.0390
Zech, E. (2006). Chapter 4. Theories of Grief. In Psychology of Grief (pp. 147–179).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.