Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 10:26:e56680.
doi: 10.2196/56680.

Communal Load Sharing of Miscarriage Experiences: Thematic Analysis of Social Media Community Support

Julia Dubbelman #  1 , Jonelle Ooms #  1 , Laura Havgry #  1 , Lianne Simonse #  1
Affiliations

Communal Load Sharing of Miscarriage Experiences: Thematic Analysis of Social Media Community Support

Julia Dubbelman et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Miscarriage is a common experience, affecting 15% of recognized pregnancies, but societal ignorance and taboos often downplay the mental distress and personal impact following a miscarriage. Emerging stories on social media in which women express their miscarriage grief are breaking such taboos. Research in the area of online health communities is increasingly focused on studying how people share their health experiences on social media. However, a clear understanding on the social support involved in this type of sharing of health experiences is lacking.

Objective: This study explored the use of Instagram in sharing miscarriage experiences, guided by the following research question: How is social community support given to women who share their miscarriage experiences on social media? Considering that social media is increasingly used as a source of social support, in this study, we chose Instagram as the social media platform. The purpose of this research was to create a better understanding of how social media provides support in expressing personal miscarriage experiences and how people engage with such posts.

Methods: This study used a qualitative inductive research method in which a phenomenological strategy and thematic analysis were followed to create a comprehensive understanding of the social community support phenomenon. The dataset was established from a sample of 258 Instagram posts and 736 comments collected over a period of 6 months after initial posts and from 6 different women. These data were categorized and clustered through a thematic analysis.

Results: Three themes were identified: (1) storytelling of emotional turmoil and grief after miscarriage, (2) sharing positivity amidst miscarriage grief, and (3) mentioning personal medical information about miscarriage. Theme 1 represents the emotional experience of women who have had a miscarriage. It encompasses the initial posts that included miscarriage storytelling that express deep grief and mental distress and the emotional impact on both the posters and the commenters. Theme 2 highlights the importance of finding moments of joy and positivity in the midst of mental distress and pain. The posts shared with the online community convey a sense of moving forward and a refusal to let grief become the defining aspect of one's life. Theme 3 focuses on sharing medical and practical advice. This theme includes posts and comments about medications, in vitro fertilization procedures, hospital experiences, and personal physical symptoms.

Conclusions: As an overarching theme for this social support phenomenon, we introduce the term communal load sharing to describe the therapeutic role of social media in helping women cope with miscarriage by providing a platform for sharing similar experiences, breaking social taboos, and fostering load sharing.

Keywords: communal load sharing; miscarriage; miscarriage grief; online health communities; peer-to-peer support; social support; thematic analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The dual code tree of social community support for miscarriage experiences.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evidence example of a posted image on theme 1.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Evidence example of a comment related to theme 1.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Evidence example of a posted reel related to theme 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Quenby S, Gallos ID, Dhillon-Smith RK, Podesek M, Stephenson MD, Fisher J, Brosens JJ, Brewin J, Ramhorst R, Lucas ES, McCoy RC, Anderson R, Daher S, Regan L, Al-Memar M, Bourne T, MacIntyre DA, Rai R, Christiansen OB, Sugiura-Ogasawara M, Odendaal J, Devall AJ, Bennett PR, Petrou S, Coomarasamy A. Miscarriage matters: the epidemiological, physical, psychological, and economic costs of early pregnancy loss. Lancet. 2021 May 01;397(10285):1658–67. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00682-6.S0140-6736(21)00682-6 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Regan L, Rai R. Epidemiology and the medical causes of miscarriage. Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2000 Oct;14(5):839–54. doi: 10.1053/beog.2000.0123.beog.2000.0123 - DOI - PubMed
    1. The Lancet Miscarriage: worldwide reform of care is needed. Lancet. 2021 May 01;397(10285):1597. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00954-5.S0140-6736(21)00954-5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Séjourné N, Callahan S, Chabrol H. Support following miscarriage: what women want. J Reprod Infant Psychol. 2010 Nov;28(4):403–11. doi: 10.1080/02646830903487375. - DOI
    1. van den Akker OB. The psychological and social consequences of miscarriage. Expert Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2014 Jan 10;6(3):295–304. doi: 10.1586/eog.11.14. - DOI