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Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos del Principado de Asturias).
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Depressive symptomatology and grief in Spanish women who have suffered a perinatal loss

Isabel Ridaura, Eva Penelo and Rosa M. Raich

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Background: Perinatal grief differs from other types of mourning. Two goals were set: to describe the progression of the process of grief and the symptoms of depression throughout the year following perinatal loss, and to study its association with socio-economic and obstetric factors. Method: The study involved the participation of 70 women who had suffered a medical termination of pregnancy or a prenatal/postnatal death. Three assessments were made after the loss (after 1 month, 6 months and 1 year) with the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) to assess grief and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depressive symptomatology. Results: Symptoms pertaining to grief and depression were observed in the first month after the loss, and a significant decrease in scores over the two follow-ups. No significant differences were observed in grief and depression depending on the type of loss, no significant associations were found with the age of the mother, her socioeconomic level, or obstetric factors (week of gestation of the loss, having a child or having suffered a previous miscarriage).Conclusions: Perinatal grief is a complex construct, with multiple variables involved, and one which involves significant emotional discomfort.

Sintomatología depresiva y duelo en mujeres españolas que han sufrido una pérdida perinatal. Antecedentes: el duelo perinatal difiere de otros tipos de duelo. Se plantearon dos objetivos: describir la evolución del proceso de duelo y la sintomatología depresiva a lo largo del año que sigue a la pérdida perinatal y estudiar su asociación con factores socioeconómicos y obstétricos. Método: participaron 70 mujeres que habían sufrido una interrupción médica del embarazo o una muerte prenatal/postnatal y se realizaron tres evaluaciones tras la pérdida (1 mes, 6 meses y 1 año) con la Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) para evaluar el duelo y el Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) para la sintomatología depresiva. Resultados: se observó sintomatología propia del duelo y depresiva en el primer mes de la pérdida y una disminución significativa de las puntuaciones a lo largo de los dos seguimientos. No se observaron diferencias significativas en el duelo y la depresión en función del tipo de pérdida, ni se encontraron asociaciones significativas con la edad de la madre y su nivel socioeconómico o los factores obstétricos (semana de gestación de la pérdida, tener un hijo o haber padecido un aborto previo).  Conclusiones: el duelo perinatal es un constructo complejo, con múltiples variables implicadas y que comporta un malestar emocional significativo.

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