Systemic and family psychotherapist Maria Grech Debono gave a talk on the experiences of young Gozitan couples who lose a child during pregnancy and what help is available for the couple experiencing this loss.

Organised by the psychology department, the presentation, held at Barts Gozo Medical School (Queen Mary University, Malta Campus), was part of a series of talks entitled ‘Responding to change after loss and distress in our lives – A psycho-educational course on Mental Health’.

The talk centred on how couples give meaning to their lived experience, both from a mother’s and father’s perspective. Grech Debono discussed several topics revolving around the issue of child loss, including the role of culture and demographic differences, the emotional rollercoaster experience by couples and the family, the role of the grandparents in the situation, managing the loss as a couple, picking up the pieces and the timelessness of the sense of loss.

Grech Debono explained how couples lived through the immediate and the days and weeks after the loss and the effect such an untimely loss has on their emotional and psychological well-being.

She also delved into how the experience has a ripple effect on their respective families and friends, specifically on the grandparents. Grech Debono also spoke about the differences between men and women when it comes to managing and coping with grief, and emphasised the benefits of psychotherapy within the field of perinatal and antenatal psychotherapy.