Grief and mourning reactions following abortion and miscarriage

Abstract

The loss of an unborn child, like the loss of a child through death, may cause both normal and pathological grief reactions. This paper explores the current research of psychological reactions following induced and spontaneous (miscarriage) abortions. Examples of studies wherein reserachers have, based their understanding of the experience on a loss model are provided. Possible reasons for the apparent inattention to grief reactions following this type of loss are explored. An alternative model based on loss and acknowledging social, political, and interpersonal stigmas is offered. Although these findings do not suggest that abortions should be made unavailable, they demonstrate a need for alertness to possible negative psychological sequelae as well as possible negative physical sequelae.