The study aims to investigate the consequences of stillbirth for parents and families over a 30-year time span. Stillbirth has a profound effect on parents and families and the consequences may be long-lasting and life-changing. Studies show that psychological distress may continue for at least several years, but little information is available about longer-term consequences. In 1985, the Family & Child Health Study (FACHS) interviewed 413 families within 6-8 weeks of experiencing the death of a baby, including 99 families who had experienced stillbirth. These families, and a comparison group of 392 families who had a surviving baby, were recruited through seven south-east Queensland hospitals between 1985 and 1989. Families were followed-up to assess their psychological, social and physical health on four occasions over the next 7 years. The FACHS remains one of the largest prospective population-based studies of perinatal bereavement and is widely cited in the field. We are now uniquely placed to follow-up these families some 30 years later. This study will follow-up with FACHS participants who experienced stillbirth and conduct interviews with a subgroup of those families.
