Journal of Psychiatry

Maternal bereavement: Mothers lived experience of losing a newborn infant in Jordan

Annual Congress on Mental Health

July 09-11, 2018 | Paris, France

Ekhlas Al Gamal

King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, KSA

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

The death of a newborn infant is one of the most devastating situations a mother could experience. The aim of this study is to understand bereavement and its associated meanings as lived and experienced by the mothers who lost their newborn infants in the intensive care units of hospitals in Jordan. Data were generated using semi structured face-to-face interviews with 12 mothers who had the experience. Qualitative phenomenological approach was used for data analysis. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: longing and grieving, as natural emotional responses to the loss; adaptive work of coping, as the mothers internalized meanings to cope with their loss and going forward but with a scar. As the mothers moved on with their lives, they carried the unforgettable memories of the newborns' death experience. Bereavement support services should be considered vitally important as soon as the news of a newborn's death is delivered to the mothers. Palliative care nurses and other health care providers should give careful attention to the meanings that the mothers attached to the loss, and support each bereaved mother's spiritual values and effective coping mechanisms.

Biography :

Ekhlas Al Gamal is an Associate Professor in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing at King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University in Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia and Associate Professor at the University of Jordan. She was qualified as a Nurse in Amman, Jordan. She had her PhD from Salford University. She has a special interest in patients and caregivers experiences of living with acute and chronic disease, mental health issues, and internet addiction. Mainly, she focused on her research on the psychological aspect of the impact of illness.

E-mail: gamale@ksau-hs.edu.sa