THE ROLE OF THE PSYCHOLOGIST IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING REGARDING PERINATAL GRIEF: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON INTERVENTIONS AND EMOTIONAL IMPACTS

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the role of the psychologist in the hospital context when facing perinatal grief, identifying the main psychological interventions developed and their emotional impacts on bereaved parents and family members. Perinatal grief is characterized as a complex and deeply painful experience, marked by early loss and the rupture of expectations and life projects, requiring sensitive, ethical, and specialized psychological care. This is a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study conducted through a systematic review of the scientific literature. Articles published between 2017 and 2025 were analyzed from the SciELO, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases, using descriptors related to hospital psychology, perinatal grief, and psychological intervention. The results indicate that the performance of the hospital psychologist, based on qualified listening, humanized welcoming, and brief interventions, significantly contributes to validating suffering, reducing feelings of guilt, anxiety, and emotional isolation, and promoting a healthy grieving process (Arruda, 2021; Alencar & Rocha, 2025). The psychologist’s mediating role between family members and the multidisciplinary healthcare team was also observed, fostering empathetic communication and strengthening the humanization of hospital care (Santos, 2023; Lara & Kurogi, 2022). It is concluded that the presence of the hospital psychologist is essential for comprehensive care and for preventing long-term emotional complications (Vasconcelos, 2022).