Mbae Doreen Kawira2026-08-242026-08-242025Mbae, D. K. (2025). Effect of individualized grief counselling on postpartum mothers’ psychological wellbeing following perinatal deaths in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya (Doctoral thesis, Chuka University, Kenya).https://repository.chuka.ac.ke/handle/123456789/23757A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Midwifery) of Chuka University Supervisors:Prof. Lucy Gitonga and Dr. Beatrice GichuruA perinatal death is the death of a foetus or neonate between 28 weeks of gestation and 7 days after birth. Estimated global statistics on perinatal deaths are 3.3 million stillbirths and 2.8 million early neonatal deaths worldwide every year, with about 98% in low and middle-income countries. Perinatal deaths, encompassing stillbirths and neonatal losses, profoundly affect the mental health of postpartum mothers leading to grief, depression, and anxiety. To support the affected mothers, this study sought to assess the effect of individualized grief counseling on postpartum mothers’ psychological well-being following perinatal loss in Tharaka Nithi County. The study was based on Kübler-Ross's Stages of Grief theory. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was used and it was implemented in three phases, baseline, intervention, and post-intervention phases. Census and purposive methods were used to sample 53 mothers from participating hospitals, where the sampling frame was neonatal and postnatal mortality records. Ten counselling staff working in the selected hospitals with maternity wards in Tharaka Nithi County were also involved. Data collection tools included Perinatal Grief Scale, questionnaires and interview guide. Statistical Package for Social Sciences, (SPSS version 29) software was used to analyze qualitative and quantitatively data. Statistical tools such as regression, correlation, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and T-test were used for analysis at 95% confidence interval. Results were presented in narratives, figures, and tables. Individualized grief counseling on postpartum mothers’ psychological well-being was statistically significant (t=-3.97, p<0.001) indicating that mothers exposed to skilled grief counseling by the health professionals (experimental group) had significantly lower grief scores compared to those in the control group. The ANOVA test showed that there was no significant statistical difference between pretest and posttest scores (F=2 87, p=0.067), revealing that the post intervention impact of individualized grief counseling between pretest and posttest scores are similar. Correlation results showed that pretest and posttest scores were positively related. The regression results showed that pretest scores were significant predictors of posttest scores on grief levels (𝛽0=0.61, p<0.001). Pretest WA p-value of p=0.001 was less than the conventional 0.05 threshold, implying that individualized grief counseling significantly reduces grief. The findings of the study can be used by policy makers, health workers and academia in improving the management of postpartum mothers who experience perinatal loss.enIndividualized grief counsellingperinatal deathperinatal losspostpartum motherspsychological wellbeingmaternal mental healthgriefdepressionanxietystillbirthneonatal deathgrief managementcounsellingKübler-Ross’s Stages of GriefTharaka Nithi CountyKenya.Thesis