Perinatal grief and support spans the generations: parents' and grandparents' evaluations of an intergenerational perinatal bereavement program.

摘要

PURPOSE: As perinatal loss, miscarriage, still birth, or neonatal death may result in signs and symptoms of grief in the entire family, perinatal bereavement programs (PBPs) should consider offering intergenerational services. The purpose of this program evaluation was to identify and evaluate siblings' and grandparents' utilization of a hospital-based PBP's intergenerational support services and education offerings with regard to the entire family's coping with the loss. METHODS: Written program evaluation surveys of parents and grandparents, with an opportunity for free response, along with parent phone follow-up, were utilized to evaluate whether a variety of inpatient/outpatient services for parents, siblings, and grandparents were useful to the entire family. RESULTS: Parents indicated that when siblings and grandparents were included in the PBP's services and education offerings, utilization of the services was useful to the entire family. Furthermore, grandparents also found the utilization of the PBP's intergenerational services to be useful in their own and their child's coping with the loss. CONCLUSION: This program evaluation affirms the usefulness of the offering of intergenerational inpatient and outpatient services by PBPs for entire families.