Psychosexual health

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Gender comparison of psychological reaction after miscarriage—a 1-year longitudinal study

  1. GWS Kong1,
  2. TKH Chung1,
  3. BPY Lai2,
  4. IH Lok1

Article first published online: 8 JUL 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02653.x

Issue

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Volume 117, Issue 10, pages 1211–1219, September 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Kong, G., Chung, T., Lai, B. and Lok, I. (2010), Gender comparison of psychological reaction after miscarriage—a 1-year longitudinal study. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 117: 1211–1219. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2010.02653.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, China

  2. 2

    Division of Social Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China

*Dr GWS Kong, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China. Email gracekong@cuhk.edu.hk

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 16 AUG 2010
  2. Article first published online: 8 JUL 2010
  3. Accepted 1 June 2010. Published Online 8 July 2010.

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Keywords:

  • Male partner;
  • miscarriage;
  • psychological reaction

Please cite this paper as: Kong G, Chung T, Lai B, Lok I. Gender comparison of psychological reaction after miscarriage—a 1-year longitudinal study. BJOG 2010;117:1211–1219.

Objective  To explore men’s psychological reaction and its evolutionary course over 1 year after miscarriage, to compare this reaction with that of their female partners and to investigate the possible correlation of psychological states between partners.

Design  Prospective 1-year longitudinal observational study.

Setting  A university-affiliated tertiary referral hospital in Hong Kong.

Sample  Eighty-three miscarrying couples.

Methods  The psychological reactions of miscarrying women and their male partners were assessed immediately and at 3, 6 and 12 months after miscarriage.

Main outcome measures  Psychological outcomes were assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Results  A substantial proportion of men (43.4%) scored high in GHQ-12 and 16.9% scored high in BDI immediately after miscarriage. In men, both psychometric scores decreased sharply within the first 3 months and reached a plateau. When compared with women, men scored significantly lower in GHQ-12 and BDI during the 1-year course after miscarriage. A planned pregnancy was a significant risk factor (P = 0.008) associated with an initial high BDI score in men. There was a significant positive correlation between couples in both GHQ-12 and BDI scores throughout the longitudinal course.

Conclusions  Although the psychological impact of miscarriage on men was less enduring when compared with that on women, a significant proportion of men demonstrated psychological distress after miscarriage. The significant positive correlation in a couple’s psychological reaction indicated that psychological morbidity was not confined only to a woman’s own experience, but also affected her relationship with her male partner.

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