Parents' Experience of Child Loss During Pregnancy or Birth

Parents' Experience of Child Loss During Pregnancy or Birth - an Explorative, Sequential Mixed-methods Study

The investigators are conducting a participatory study with and for parents after child loss during pregnancy or birth. Their aim is to develop treatment recommendations for healthcare professional. These focus on question, how to deal with parents when experiencing child loss.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Miscarriages; Stillbirth and Fetal Death; Experience
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Workshops; Other: Focus group interviews; Other: Narrative interviews; Other: Delphi approach

Detailed Description

The entire study is following a participatory approach and including parents after stillbirth in the research team. Along a co-creative design, the investigators planned a multistep-explorative mixed-methods study.

In detail, three key steps will be conducted. First, workshops and focus groups will be carried out to identify central needs of affected parents. Afterwards, one investigator will interview the parents narratively to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiencs. Finally, these findings will be summarized and translated into treatment recommendations for healthcare professionals.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 46

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Bavaria
    • Deggendorf, Bavaria, Germany, 94469
      • Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Faculty of Applied Healthcare Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Parents (mothers, fathers) will be recruited that lost their child during pregnancy or birth in hospitals, at home or birth houses.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• German speaking
• Living in Austria, Germany or Switzerland
• Child loss during pregnancy or birth
• Child loss within last 12 months
• Legal capacity
• Voluntary participation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Loss of child after birth
• Not speaking and understanding German
• Not in a good mental condition to participate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Parents after intrauterine or perinatal child loss

Other: Workshops; The investigators will conduct workshops with parents to get closer to the main topic.; Other: Focus group interviews; The investigators will conduct focus group interviews with parents on their needs before and during child loss.; Other: Narrative interviews; The investigators will conduct narrative interviews with parents to gain an in-depth understanding of their lived experience before and during the intrauterine or perinatal child loss.; Other: Delphi approach; The investigators will carry out a Delphi approach with parents to translate and confirm or revise the findings into treatment recommendations for healthcare professionals.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parent's experience	The investigators are interested in parents' in-depth and lived experience before and during their intrauterine or perinatal child loss.	During pregnancy and up to 7 days after birth

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parents' subjective needs	In qualitative interviews, the subjective needs that parents developed before and during their intrauterine or perinatal child loss will be investigated.	During pregnancy and up to 7 days after birth

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Fritz Sterr
• Investigators: Study Chair: Christian Rester, Prof. Dr., Deggendorf Institute of Technology

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Sterr F, Siepmann J, Nuber-Fischer D, Rester C, Gensheimer K, Bauernfeind L. Parents' experience of child loss during pregnancy or birth: protocol for an explorative, sequential and participative mixed-methods study. Res Involv Engagem. 2025 Dec 5;11(1):139. doi: 10.1186/s40900-025-00819-8.
• Siepmann J, Bauernfeind L, Nuber-Fischer D, Rester C, Gensheimer K, Sterr F. Needs of parents during their intrauterine or perinatal child loss - a qualitative multi-method study. BMC Public Health. 2026 May 12;26(1):1526. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-27687-5.

Helpful Links

• Landing Page of the Study

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 2, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 17, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 19, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 13, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 31, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 26, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Qualitative research; Miscarriage; Parents; Experience; Stillbirth; Fetal death; Mixed-methods; Pregnancy loss; Perinatal loss; Need; Child loss
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Complications; Death; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Stillbirth; Abortion, Spontaneous; Fetal Death
• Other Study ID Numbers: GEHBa-202409-V-237-R2

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The data to be collected is particularly sensitive and is stored securely and deleted after the study. Individual pseudonymised excerpts are made public in the publications.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No