[Narration as a means of restoring self-coherency: Thoughts on processing traumatic experiences]. / Erzählen als Prozess der (Wieder-) Herstellung von Selbstkohärenz. Uberlegungen zur Verarbeitung traumatischer Erfahrungen.

OBJECTIVE: Traumatic memories are characterized by not being accessible to intentional recall nor being integrated into the matrix of autobiographical memory. Based on this description, the authors discuss the process of narration as a central means of regaining a sense of self-coherence after traumatic experiences. Formally correct narratives are characterized by three functions: orientation, reference and evaluation. Through so-called "memory talk" with socio-culturally competent partners, children learn how to reconstruct memories and to represent experience by narration. It is therefore suggested that narratives are the basic ingredient of autobiographical memory. The process of re-establishing a sense of coherence after trauma relies on the capacity for coherent narration. The latter is often not possible with traumatic experiences. METHOD AND RESULT: We conducted a literature search in multiple databases for linguistic analyses of trauma narratives empirically correlating narrative style and posttraumatic psychopathology. DISCUSSION: It is recommended that research in psychopathology and psychotherapy should take issues of language into account more systematically.

[Psychological consequences of perinatal loss in subsequent pregnancies--a comparative study]. / Psychische Folgen eines Früh- und Spätabortes in der Folgeschwangerschaft--eine Pilotuntersuchung.

PURPOSE: Pregnancies after perinatal loss occur often. However, little is known about the need of secondary psychological prevention in these instances. Therefore we investigated psychological disorder and distress during the subsequent pregnancy after perinatal loss. METHODS: We compared psychological symptoms in pregnant women with and without previous perinatal loss. RESULTS: Pregnant women in the PL-group did not suffer more from depression, anxiety and other psychological distress than women without perinatal loss. Nearly a third of the women in the PL-group were classified as unresolved with regard to their mental representation of attachment indicating that their mourning process was still not completed. CONCLUSION: Women who have suffered from perinatal loss do not score higher on depression, anxiety or general psychopathology during subsequent pregnancies than women without loss experience. Only a minority of women, who have suffered from loss show ongoing signs of unresolved mourning. However, in order to detect criteria for the identification of those who might be at risk during subsequent pregnancies studies with larger samples size are necessary.

[Mourning after perinatal death--prevalence symptoms and treatment--a review of the literature]. / Trauerverarbeitung nach Prä- und Perinatalverlust--Prävalenz, klinisches Bild und Behandlung--eine Ubersicht über den aktuellen Forschungsstand.

Miscarriage and perinatal loss are associated with considerable psychosocial distress. A substantial proportion of women who suffered the loss of a child develop a psychological disorder. Depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and somatoform disorder all have been linked in various studies to grief reactions in response to perinatal loss. A number of studies based on clinical and empirical evidence suggest various therapeutic procedures. However, a current Cochrane review fails to provide empirical evidence favouring a specific treatment strategy. In Germany in routine care in gynaecology no psychological support is offered to women suffering from grief reactions due to perinatal loss. Further research is needed to develop evidence based treatment strategies for secondary prevention in this field.