1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« This follow-up study examined how bereaved couples’ grief reactions change over time and how the quality of the marriage can predict these reactions for men and women. » (p. 33)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« There is some evidence to suggest that men and women grieve differently over the loss of an infant. However, it is unclear whether these differencies persist over time. It is also unclear how grief reactions are predicted by the quality of the couples’ marital relationships. This study addressed the following questions :
(1) How do men’s and women’s grief reactions change over time?
(2) How does the quality of the marriage predict the long-term grief reaction of men and women? »

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
36 nonbereaved couples

Instruments :
- « Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships » assesses properties of the marital relationship in terms of perceived intimacy within the past month;
- « Bereavement Experience Questionnaire (BEQ): measured the behavioral/emotional manifestations of parental grief. »;
- « Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ): who measured the physical aspects of grief (i.e. somatization). »;
- A sixth subscale, namely « Conventionality » is included to meaure social desirability;
- Marital Adjustment Scale.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« A group of 31 bereaved couples who 2 to 4 years earlier had lost an infant () 20 weeks gestation and (1 year of age) were revisited in their home 24 months after the initial home visit. With the exception of somatization, couples’ grief reactions were less intense at follow-up than at the initial visit. Overall, husbands experienced less guilt, meaninglessness, yearning, and morbid fear than wives. Both husbands and wives who reported lower levels of marital intimacy soon after the loss, experienced more intense grief at follow-up. Finally, couples continued to be vulnerable to a resurgence of grief even years later. » (p. 35)