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Social and Cultural Factors Associated with Perinatal Grief in Chhattisgarh, India

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Abstract

Stillbirth is a globally significant public health problem with many medical causes. There are also indirect causal pathways including social and cultural factors which are particularly salient in India’s traditional society. The purpose of this study was to explore women’s perceptions of stillbirth and to determine how issues of gender and power, social support, coping efforts, and religious beliefs influence perinatal grief outcomes among poor women in rural Chhattisgarh, India. Structured interviews were done face-to-face in 21 randomly selected villages among women of reproductive age (N = 355) who had experienced stillbirth (n = 178) and compared to those who had not (n = 177), in the Christian Hospital, Mungeli catchment area. Perinatal grief was significantly higher among women with a history of stillbirth. Greater perinatal grief was associated with lack of support, maternal agreement with social norms, and younger maternal age. These predictors must be understood in light of an additional finding—distorted sex ratios, which reflect gender discrimination in the context of Indian society. The findings of this study will allow the development of a culturally appropriate health education program which should be designed to increase social support and address social norms, thereby reducing psychological distress to prevent complicated perinatal grief. Perinatal grief is a significant social burden which impacts the health women.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the access and introductions to Chhattisgarhi villages provided by Dr. Anil Henry, medical director of Christian Hospital Mungeli.

Conflict of interest

No funding or financial support was received for this research, no conflict of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. In Your Best Interest Medical Clinic, 1201 Brookside Ave., Redlands, CA, 92373, USA

    Lisa R. Roberts

  2. Behavioral Health Institute, Loma Linda University, 1898 Business Center Dr., San Bernardino, CA, 92408, USA

    Susanne Montgomery

  3. Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Nichol Hall, Loma Linda, CA, 92350, USA

    Jerry W. Lee

  4. Doctor of Nursing Practice, Frontier Nursing University, 4263 Quail Rd., Riverside, CA, 92507, USA

    Barbara A. Anderson

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  1. Lisa R. Roberts
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  2. Susanne Montgomery
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  4. Barbara A. Anderson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa R. Roberts.

Additional information

This work was partially supported by a LLU CHR dissertation grant award.

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Roberts, L.R., Montgomery, S., Lee, J.W. et al. Social and Cultural Factors Associated with Perinatal Grief in Chhattisgarh, India. J Community Health 37, 572–582 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9485-0

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