Pregnancy after perinatal loss: association of grief,anxiety and attachment

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the psychological experience of pregnancy after a previous perinatal loss and to bring to light the risk factors of psychological distress and disorders in instituting antenatal attachment with the subsequent child. Methods: 96 pregnant women, having experienced a previous perinatal loss answered several questionnaires which measured the feelings of perinatal grief (PGS), anxio‐depressive symptomatology (HADS), acceptance of pregnancy, identification with the maternal role (PSEQ) and perinatal attachment (MAAS). The control group included 74 women with no experience of perinatal loss. Results: Women having suffered from perinatal loss reported significantly higher scores of grief and anxio‐depressive symptoms compared to the control group. These variables were significant predictors of prenatal attachment. Conclusion: Findings reveal the intense psychological distress during pregnancy following a perinatal loss and underscore the need for psychosocial and clinical care when there is a perinatal loss, care that should be extended up to the birth of the subsequent child.