Minton EA, Wang CX, Anthony C, Fox A. Advice from Bereaved Parents on Strategies to Heal After Baby Loss.
Omega (Westport) 2022:302228221133589. [PMID:
36219066 DOI:
10.1177/00302228221133589]
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Abstract
With close to one in three babies dying between conception and infancy, research examining how to assist bereaved parents after loss is critical. Prior research focuses primarily on a general understanding of the journey post-loss or on a specific strategy that can be pursued to assist in healing but does not adequately provide a holistic examination of post-loss strategies nor is it from firsthand recommendations of bereaved parents. Our research addresses this gap in the literature by identifying the post-loss healing strategies recommended by bereaved parents themselves, thereby informing coping post-loss. To do this, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with bereaved mothers. Four themes emerged from our findings: (1) honor the deceased baby, (2) engage in helpful practices, (3) pursue healing now, and (4) embrace the post-loss journey as unique.
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