Perinatal Loss and Spirituality

Abstract

Perinatal loss is an area of inquiry that has been steadily developing over the past 40 years. Much of the work done in this field of inquiry is qualitative in nature because it is rooted in the constructivist perspective. The metasynthesis presented in this article was conducted to derive an understanding of how spirituality and perinatal bereavement intersect. Using the steps outlined by Noblit and Hare, the article presents four themes that were developed using published studies on perinatal loss as data. These themes are: leaning into faith for strength, challenging faith, acceptance and finding meaning, and strengthening faith. A model representing how the four themes are interconnected is also presented.