Effect of participation in the interactive artwork on bereaved parents experiences and perception of stigma after stillbirth.

After experiencing a perinatal death parents frequently report being socially isolated or stigmatized which may contribute to disenfranchized grief and prolonged grief. Here we evaluate the participatory artwork, where parents of stillborn babies can name one of the dots in the artwork after their baby and write a short statement about their experience of stillbirth. Thirty-five participants completed a 51-item questionnaire to understand their experience of participating in the artwork and the impact of this on perceived stillbirth stigma and their mental health. Overall, participation in the artwork was perceived to help in the grieving process, to reduce feelings of isolation and to support personhood of their baby. The majority of people (74.3%) thought the online artwork helped to break the stigma surrounding stillbirth, however, it was recognized that to overcome societal stigma the artwork needed to reach beyond those immediately affected by perinatal bereavement. These preliminary data indicate that offering participation in the artwork can help the grieving process for parents after perinatal death.