Conversations, coping, & connectedness: a qualitative study of women who have experienced involuntary pregnancy loss

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe processes and strategies used by women to cope after pregnancy loss. Twenty women with a history of involuntary pregnancy loss were interviewed. All of the women were in the last month of a subsequent pregnancy, married or partnered, and most were EuroAmerican or Asian American and had completed college. Taped interviews, fieldnotes, and analytical notes were transcribed then subsequently coded and developed in individual or team sessions. Construction and confirmation of the categories and related themes derived from the data was a collaborative process. Three themes were revealed that described the coping behaviors used by the women: being myself, connecting with others, and avoiding and pretending. The core concept of connectedness and coping after involuntary pregnancy loss was further validated in this study. The purpose of this study was to describe processes and strategies that facilitate coping for 20 women, pregnant subsequent to an involuntary pregnancy loss (IPL). Involuntary pregnancy loss (IPL) refers to miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, fetal deaths, and stillbirths (Van & Meleis, 2003). This current study was designed to replicate two prior qualitative studies, with African-American women, by the author (Patterson, 2000; Van, 2001). Based on the author's previous work, a theoretical framework entitled "A Model of Living with Grief after Pregnancy Loss" was constructed (Patterson, 2000). For the current study, a more diverse sample was used to potentially expand the applicability of the Model of Living with Grief after Pregnancy Loss to women who are of races other than African American.