IInvestigation of the Economic, Health, Psychological and Social Costs Imposed on Family and Society due to Mother's Death: A Review Paper

Maternal mortality rate, resulted from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, is one of the most important indicators that indicates the development status of countries. This paper has attempted to find ways to prevent similar deaths and improve the status by determining the costs of maternal death and the impact of these costs on the health of family and community.
The study is a review article conducted by searching through Iranian and international databases such as Elsevier, Springer, PubMed, IranMedex, google scholar and SID as well as WHO and UNFPA sites from 1973 to 2016. Approximately, 78 titles were identified in the initial search. After studying the summary of the articles, 20 articles that were consistent with the main objective of this study were selected.
The most important consequences of mother’s death for children, families and society include increase in child mortality, child labor, malnutrition and disease in children as well as the dissolution of families, the growth of single-parent families and increase in mental illness in other members of the family and society.
The results showed that women and especially mothers play a very important role in family and parenting and that the death of mothers can result in reducing capital and household production, dissolving families and creating economic, social and psychological problems.
Identifying the factors affecting this important indicator helps take effective measures to promote maternal health and, consequently, reduce the costs imposed on the family and society by mother’s death.