ASPECTOS PSICOLÓGICOS DO LUTO MATERNO DIANTE DA PERDA DE UM FILHO NO PERÍODO PÓS-NATAL

Abstract

The loss of a child in the postnatal period constitutes an experience of intense maternal suffering, marked by significant emotional, psychological, and social impacts. This study investigates how individual, cultural, and social factors influence maternal grief, as well as the role of coping strategies, support networks, and humanized hospital care in the re-signification of this experience. The research isqualitative, exploratory, and descriptive, based on a systematic literature review that includes recent publications and classical works on grief, psychotherapy, and maternal-infant health policies. The results reveal that postnatal loss causes profound pain, feelings of guilt, emptiness, changes in maternal identity, and social isolation— often rendered invisible by society. Psychotherapeutic support, empathic listening, family involvement, and participation in bereaved mothers’ groups are shown to be essential for the elaboration of grief and for the construction of symbolic memories of the child. It is concluded that humanized care, combined with emotional support strategies, is fundamental for the re-signification of pain and the reconstruction of maternal identity.