Keywords
Bereavement
Parents
Health professionals
Psychology
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Abstract
Objective: Understand what interventions and strategies are available to support parental grief in the perinatal context. Methods: Integrative review of literature from the last five years, with consultations in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and PUBMED databases. Carried out through six stages, consisting of: identification of the theme and guiding question, establishment of inclusion and exclusion criteria, data collection, critical analysis of studies, discussion of results and presentation of the synthesis of knowledge. Results: The findings attest that perinatal loss can be a traumatic event for bereaved parents, which can result in anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. Furthermore, it reinforces that the practices of health professionals must be based on assertive communication, with a sense of care and without judgement. It highlighted concerns regarding support measures for bereaved parents in health service contexts in low- and middle-income countries. Final considerations: The loss of a child in the perinatal period can be a traumatic event and the severity of the grief is also linked to the quality of support received, making it essential that professionals adopt support practices focused on creating memories and compassionate communication.
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