Psychosocial interventions on psychological outcomes of parents with perinatal loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Perinatal loss can occur due to miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, among other circumstances. Psychological health of parents can deteriorate due to perinatal loss. Parent's negative psychological outcomes include depression, anxiety, and grief. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in reducing depression, anxiety, and grief among parents after perinatal loss. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Data Sources: English language articles published from database inception to 19 November 2019 were systematically retrieved from eight electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science). Review Methods: The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to conduct quality appraisal of each individual article and data was analyzed using Review Manager 5.3. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted using a random-effect model. Results: Among this review's 17 included studies, 15 studies' results were included in the meta-analyses. The remaining two studies were summarized narratively. Meta-analyses revealed that psychosocial interventions significantly reduced depression (95% CI: -0.64 to -0.29, Z = 5.17, p = < 0.0 0 0 01), anxiety (95% CI: -0.50 to -0.18, Z = 4.21, p < 0.0 0 01) and grief (95% CI: -0.71 to -0.32, Z = 5.12, p < 0.0 0 01). Conclusion: Psychosocial interventions are effective in improving depression, anxiety, and grief amongst parents with perinatal loss. Psychosocial care can be provided by medical healthcare professionals and expanded with technology-assisted implementation. Study registration number: CRD42019145526 (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.