Digital Perinatal Bereavement Support Program for Women After Pregnancy Loss

THE EFFECT OF PERINATAL GRIEF COUNSELING PROVIDED VIA DIGITAL PLATFORM ON GRIEF AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07545551

Acronym

DPBSP

Enrollment

Registered

2026-04-22

Start date

2025-04-01

Completion date

2025-11-01

Last updated

2026-04-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Depression Anxiety Disorder, Grief, Perinatal Loss

Keywords

perinatal beriavement, pregnancy loss, digital invertion, pylchological support, grief counseling, maternal mental health

Brief summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital perinatal bereavement support program designed for women who have experienced pregnancy loss. Perinatal loss is associated with significant psychological distress, including grief, depression, and anxiety, which may persist over time if not adequately addressed. The intervention consists of a structured digital support program delivered over five weeks, focusing on emotional processing, coping strategies, and psychological resilience. Participants were assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and during follow-up periods at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. The primary objective is to determine whether the intervention improves psychological outcomes, including grief and depressive symptoms. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of accessible and scalable mental health support models for women experiencing perinatal loss.

Detailed description

Perinatal loss is a significant life event that can lead to long-term psychological consequences, including prolonged grief, depression, and anxiety. Despite the high prevalence of these outcomes, access to structured psychological support remains limited, particularly in scalable and accessible formats. This study investigates the effectiveness of a digitally delivered perinatal bereavement support program developed to provide structured emotional and psychological support for women following pregnancy loss. The intervention was administered over a five-week period and included components targeting grief processing, emotional expression, and adaptive coping strategies. Participants were evaluated at multiple time points, including baseline (pre-intervention), post-intervention, and follow-up assessments at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. Psychological outcomes were assessed using validated measurement tools. The primary aim of the study is to assess changes in psychological outcomes over time and to determine the sustainability of intervention effects during the follow-up period. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting digital mental health interventions and offers insights into scalable support mechanisms for perinatal bereavement.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSupportive Care

A structured supportive care program designed for women experiencing perinatal loss. The intervention was delivered over 5 weeks through a digital platform specifically developed for this study. It included regular psychological support sessions aimed at reducing grief, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The program incorporated emotional support, coping strategies, and guided communication techniques.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Masking description

This is an open- label study with no masking

Intervention model description

Participants received a structured digital perinatal bereavement support program over five weeks, with follow-up assessments conducted at 1, 3, and 6 months.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

\- Women aged 18 years and older who have experienced perinatal loss within the past two months; ability to read and write at a basic level; ability to speak and understand Turkish; access to a digital platform (internet-enabled device); and no history of previous live birth. Provision of informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

History of a previous perinatal loss; presence of any uncontrolled psychiatric disorder; presence of communication impairments (cognitive, auditory, or visual); experiencing another major grief event (e.g., divorce, death) within the past year; or receiving any psychosocial support within the past year. \-

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in grief levels	Baseline, 5 weeks (end of inversions), and 1,3, and 6 months follow up	Change in grief levels measured using a validated grief scalesamong women experiencing perinatal loss, comparing the intervention and control groups.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORŞengül YAMAN SÖZBİR, PhD

Gazi University

STUDY_CHAIRBüşra Özer, PhD Candidate