The nurse is caring for a patient who suffered a miscarriage at 24 weeks of pregnancy. The patient is devastated by the loss but her husband minimizes her grief by stating, "Quit crying. It's not like you lost a real baby." What term best describes the anguish felt by the patient?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient is experiencing disenfranchised grief because she cannot share the pain of her loss with her husband. The husband is not willing to support his wife as she mourns the loss of her pregnancy or recognize the grief that she is going through. Delayed grief is suppression of the grief process. Moral distress occurs when people cannot act according to their moral values. Masked grief occurs when a person's bereavement behaviors interfere with his or her life, but the person does not notice this.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient Who Suffered a Miscarriage