Attending support groups to reduce the prevalence of anxiety disorders in parents who have suffered a perinatal loss

Abstract

Introduction Nowadays, live in a tanatophobic society in which there is no place to express negative emotions or unpleasant thoughts, much less talk about death. Grief must be understood as a normal process after the loss of a loved one. Pathological grief can appear in some situations and lead to physical, psychological or psychiatric disorders. Perinatal death occurs from the 22nd week of gestation to the first 7 days from birth. Perinatal grief is generally unauthorized, so parents are at risk of developing a complicated grief disorder. Another underestimated aspect is the early detection of psychiatric disorders in these parents, such as Anxiety Disorder. Justification Most hospitals in Spain do not have a protocol for perinatal death. Therefore, medical personnel are not trained in this area. In addition, many parents mention not having received the necessary information at the time of the loss and not having had support from society. The support groups that have been created for these families, as well as the mental health of these parents should be studied. Objective This study aims to evaluate if the patients who have suffered a perinatal death and attend a support group have less at risk of developing an Anxiety Disorders than patients who do not attend these groups. Methodology This study is designed as a prospective observational study. This study is designed to be multicentre and will be carried out in 3 health centres in Catalonia. The sample will consist of 2 groups of parents who have suffered a perinatal death: a group that will attend support groups for perinatal grief (case group) and another group that will not attend these groups (control group). Finally, the prevalence of Anxiety Disorder will be compared between the two groups