| A phenomenological approach was the method chosen to explore, describe, and understand the impact of perinatal loss among adolescent parents. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the psychological grieving, female and male development, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, and parenting experiences of adolescent parents with perinatal loss. Eight participants met the criteria for individuals who, within the past 24 months, experienced the loss of a child by miscarriage or stillbirth. Data collection took place using face-to-face or telephone interviews validated by each participant individually. The results identified five common themes that included emotional states, grief responses, pregnancy loss, relationships, and source of support. Healthcare providers, friends, family, and agency staff working with adolescent parents who experienced a perinatal loss must (a) provide crisis intervention and grief counseling and understand the underlying causes of grief-related anger and their function in adolescents' lives; (b) provide support, validation, and assistance in planning for the adjustment period after a perinatal loss and the parent's discharge from the hospital; (c) provide the services of a chaplain or a social worker to help the parent and family with bereavement and funeral planning; (d) provide the adolescent with pregnancy prevention counseling after the loss to prevent a subsequent pregnancy; and (e) encourage adolescent parents who experience a perinatal loss to seek support from family and friends to prevent feelings of isolation and potentially complicated grief. |
