The impact of midwife/nurse-led psychosocial interventions on parents experiencing perinatal bereavement: An integrative review

Background: Perinatal loss is a traumatic event associated with a high risk of parents experiencing negative psychological outcomes. Despite most parents being in regular contact with midwives and nurses during the perinatal period, there is a lack of evidence which hampers these professionals from using effective psychosocial interventions with parents. Aim: This study aims to synthesise the existing evidence on the types of psychosocial interventions delivered by midwives/nurses for parents with perinatal bereavement, their impacts on bereaved parents' mental health and the experiences of midwives and nurses in delivering psychosocial interventions for parents experiencing perinatal loss. Design: An integrative review of the literature. Methods: Whittemore and Knafl's five-stage integrative review framework guided this review. A systematic literature search of the Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL and ASSIA, Cochrane Library and ProQuest databases was conducted from inception to January 2023, with no language or geographical limiters set due to the paucity of research published in this subject area. Two researchers independently screened and reviewed each study's data extraction and methodological quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute and Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Results were analysed and synthesised using narrative synthesis. Results: A total of 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. From these, we identified nine types of psychosocial interventions for perinatal bereavement that can be delivered by midwives and nurses. The positive impacts of midwife/nurse-led psychosocial interventions on grief, anxiety, depression posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychosocial outcomes amongst parents experiencing perinatal loss have been demonstrated. In addition, we identified the useful components of these interventions and the experiences of midwives and nurses in delivering psychosocial interventions, thereby highlighting barriers such as lack of knowledge and skills, stressful working environments and inadequate emotional support. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that midwife/nurse-led psychosocial interventions have the potential to improve grief, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and other psychosocial outcomes for parents experiencing perinatal loss. Thus, future research should consider training, workload, time cost and emotional support for midwives/nurses when developing midwife/nurse-led psychosocial interventions for parents with perinatal loss. Registration number: CRD42022369032. Tweetable abstract: Midwife/nurse-led psychosocial interventions have the potential to improve mental health amongst parents experiencing perinatal loss.