Stillbirth and maternal well-being

Abstract

Background: Stillbirth imposes severe strains on the mother. Little is known about the long-term well-being after such an experience.

Methods: The study population comprises 380 women who experienced stillbirth and 379 control women with a livebirth in 1991. Data were collected by a postal questionnaire in 1994 in a nationwide study in Sweden. The response rate was 84%.

Results: The index women stated more often than controls that they had an improved relationship with the baby's father at the time of follow-up than before the child's birth, the ratio of proportions (with 95% confidence interval) of women with an improved relationship being 1.8 (1.4-2.2). The corresponding figure for high satisfaction with home and family situation at the time of the survey was 1.3 (1.1-1.6) and 3.7 (1.6-8.3) for low satisfaction with the appreciation they encountered outside the home. The cumulative incidence of separation/divorce after a stillbirth was the same as after a livebirth, 8%. Marital status strongly modified the results; for single women the ratio of proportions (stillbirth compared to livebirth) for an improved relationship with the baby's father was 0.2 (0.0-1.4) and for high satisfaction with home and family situation 0.1 (0.0-0.9).

Conclusions: Stillbirth increases satisfaction with the relationship with the baby's father and the home and family situation, but it decreases maternal satisfaction of appreciation by others outside of the home. This traumatic experience does not affect the risk of separation/divorce, but single women are at risk of social complications after stillbirth, and psychosocial support may be appropriate for this subgroup.