Identifying Effective Psychotherapeutic Interventions and Preferences in Emotional Care: Reducing Psychological Distress and Promoting Emotional Health in Women who have Experienced Perinatal Loss
Date
2022-01-26
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Abstract
Perinatal loss is a challenging experience because of the unexpected nature through which the loss of an unborn or recently born child commonly occurs. At present, evidence-based interventions to support women affected by perinatal loss are scarce. Understanding psychological distress after perinatal loss and identifying effective psychotherapeutic interventions and preferences in emotional care will likely improve emotional health for women across time. The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to provide the evidence needed to inform the development of, and improve women’s access to, a universal, integrated emotional health screening, referral and intervention initiative that is responsive to the needs of women who have experienced perinatal loss. This thesis contains a secondary data analysis (Chapter 2), a systematic review protocol (Chapter 3), a systematic review and meta-analysis (Chapter 4), and a cross-sectional descriptive survey (Chapter 5). The secondary analysis examined the trajectory patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms following miscarriage and stillbirth from early pregnancy up to when the mother’s child was 11 years old and identified early factors predictive of elevated symptom trajectory patterns. This is the first latent class analysis to identify longitudinal symptom trajectories and early factors predictive of elevated trajectories. The review and meta-analysis analysed and synthesized research evaluating the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions to treat or decrease psychological distress in women after perinatal loss and outlined the content and delivery method of effective interventions. This is the first review to identify effective psychotherapeutic interventions and summarize their characteristics. The survey study explored women’s perception of the barriers and facilitators in discussing their emotional health with a healthcare provider after prenatal loss and identified their preferences in emotional care. This is the first study to identify women’s influences and preferences in accessing emotional care surrounding a pandemic. In summary, the studies within this research program provide evidence needed to develop a universal, integrated screening, referral and intervention initiative. This initiative empowers women to monitor and manage their emotional health after a perinatal loss. By engaging in discussions related to emotional health, healthcare providers facilitate women’s early access to resources and improve their emotional health.
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Perinatal loss,, Psychological distress, Psychotherapy, Intervention, Barriers, Preferences, Emotional care, Maternal anxiety, Maternal depression, Predictors, Pregnancy loss, Neonatal death, Neonatal loss, Perinatal Mental Health
Citation
Charrois, E. M. (2022). Identifying Effective Psychotherapeutic Interventions and Preferences in Emotional Care: Reducing Psychological Distress and Promoting Emotional Health in Women who have Experienced Perinatal Loss (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.