Religious Beliefs Affect Grieving After Pregnancy Loss

• Published in: Journal of religion and health 2010-12, Vol.49 (4), p.485-497
• Main Authors: Cowchock, F. S., Lasker, J. N., Toedter, L. J., Skumanich, S. A., Koenig, H. G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abortion, Spontaneous - psychology; Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Aging; Attitude to Health; Bereavement; Clinical Psychology; Correlations; Death; Depressive disorders; Female; Fetal Death; Grief; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Miscarriage; Mothers - psychology; Object Attachment; On the Boundaries of Religion, Psychology and Medicine: Studies in the Social, Behavioral and Medical Sciences; Original Paper; Prayer; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First - psychology; Public Health; Religion; Religiosity; Religious beliefs; Religious Studies; Social psychology; Social Support; Spiritual belief systems; Spirituality; Stress; Surveys and Questionnaires; Women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0022-4197; 1573-6571
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-009-9277-3

Religious beliefs and practices may aid in coping with bereavement and grief after pregnancy loss. Data from 103 women enrolled in the original Lehigh Valley Perinatal Loss Project, and who were followed-up for at least 1 year, were evaluated for the impact of initial religious practices and beliefs on the course and severity of grief. Religious practices corresponding to standard scales of religiosity and agreement with specific beliefs were rated by the women on a Likert scale of 1-5. Neither agreement with statements corresponding to extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity or to positive religious coping, nor frequency of religious service attendance was predictive of follow-up scores on the Perinatal Grief Scale. Religious struggle, agreement with statements classified as negative religious coping, and continued attachment to the baby were all associated with more severe grief.