[Chronic grief after spontaneous abortion: results of a longitudinal study after 13 months].

Presented are follow-up results on coping with spontaneous abortion. Although the majority of women feel that this is a significant negative life event, their grief gradually decreases within 7 to 13 months. Compared to population standards they are neither depressed nor do they suffer from increased physical complaints. A subgroup of women is identified with chronic ("pathological") grief based on increased or rising levels of grief (PGS), depression (SCL-90) and physical complaints (BL). Independently from a following pregnancy these women (about 20%) report a high importance of their abortion, painful feelings in seeing pregnant women and babies and fears of another abortion even after 13 months. Scores immediately after the abortion permit a good discrimination of patients with chronic grief and uncomplicated course: Patients who later develop chronic grief report a high level of negative feelings during the pregnancy leading to the loss, extensive preparations for the expected baby, an unsettled vocational and family situation and intensive strains and despair immediately thereafter. Conditions and ways of grieving with this specific loss are discussed.