The psychosocial effects of miscarriage: Implications for health professionals.

DeFrain, John; Millspaugh, Elaine; Xie, Xu

doi:10.1037/h0089794

Cited by 37 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 17 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…Although we did find that women who experienced miscarriage and stillbirth had significantly greater odds of divorce than women without a loss-with greatest odds for women who experienced stillbirth-women who experienced the loss of a planned pregnancy were less likely to have divorced. We suspect that this finding might be an indication of couple communication, which can also buffer the distress following a loss (Cacciatore et al, 2008;DeFrain et al, 1996). It is also possible that an unplanned pregnancy might be an indicator of an unstable relationship; prior evidence suggests that women who try to get pregnant as compared to those trying not to get pregnant report greater relationship satisfaction (McQuillan, Greil, & Shreffler, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…For example, a study by Cacciatore, DeFrain, and Jones (2008) found that fewer than 10% of couples who experienced a loss reported that they considered divorce because of their stillbirth. Similarly, DeFrain, Millspaugh, and Xie (1996) found only 11% of couples who had experienced a miscarriage reported that their marriages were weakened by the event, compared to 60% who said it was strengthened. It is possible, however, that the couples who seek therapy or participation in studies focused on the consequences of their pregnancy or perinatal losses differ from other couples; their relationships might be more resilient to begin with.…”

Section: Conflicting Evidence On the Miscarriage/stillbirth And Divormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incongruent grief can cause strain on a marriage as each spouse deals with loss in his or her own way (de Montigny, Beaudet, & Dumas, 1999;Puddifoot & Johnson, 1999). The process of reorganization and role adjustment to the loss of the expectation of becoming a parent also present significant stressors and challenges on a relationship (Boyle, Vance, Najman, & Thearle, 1996;DeFrain et al, 1996;Fletcher, 2002;Vance et al, 1995). The loss of a baby might also impact couples differently due to partners' variations in parental attachment, grieving styles, and coping, which can result in the erosion of the intimate relationship.…”

Section: Conceptualizing the Link Between Loss And Divorcementioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Increased Odds of Divorce Following Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Shreffler

Hill

Cacciatore

2012

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Conflicting Evidence On the Miscarriage/stillbirth And Divormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conceptualizing the Link Between Loss And Divorcementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring the Increased Odds of Divorce Following Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Shreffler

Hill

Cacciatore

2012

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage

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“…The severity of the psychological effects of miscarriages has also been reported in women and to a lesser extent in their partners [37] and siblings [42]. For example, increased anxiety lasting up to 4 months after the miscarriage [43], depression [44] and grief reactions have been reported in women and men immediately after miscarriages [45,46].…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

The psychological and social consequences of miscarriage

Akker¹

2011

Expert Review of Obstetrics & Gynecology

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This article summarizes the research detailing factors relevant to the identification and estimation of medically defined miscarriages, and describes research highlighting the psychological effects and individual social context of miscarriage. Specifically, issues of culture and social psychological interpretations of miscarriage are discussed in this article, and suggestions for improvement of follow-up care are discussed. The research reviewed shows there is a need for immediate and longer term recognition of the psychosocial effects of miscarriage and support for women, particularly those not supported within their social network, and emphasizes the need to be culturally aware when addressing health policy and healthcare needs of different populations undergoing similar reproductive losses.

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“…We did not restrict our criteria to any particular definition or operationalization of self-blame, guilt, or shame. Exploratory studies that did not expressly seek to understand selfblame, guilt, or shame yet reported them in their results were excluded because doing so would bias the review by not also including all exploratory studies that did not find evidence of self-blame, guilt, or shame (e.g., Adolfsson, Larsson, Wijma, & Bertero, 2004;Clyman, Green, Rowe, Mikkelsen, & Ataide, 1980;DeFrain, Martens, Stork, & Stork, 1990;DeFrain, Millspaugh, & Xie, 1996;Frost & Condon, 1996;Hsu, Tseng, Banks, & Kuo, 2004;Mandell, McAnulty, & Reece, 1980;Robinson, 2011;Samuelsson, Radestad, & Segesten, 2001;Smialek, 1978;Taub, 1996). 3.…”

Section: Study Eligibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame

Duncan

Cacciatore

2015

Omega (Westport)

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This is the first systematic review of the evidence on the prevalence of self-blame, guilt, and shame in bereaved parents. A search of PsychINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, and Science Direct resulted in 18 studies for the period 1975 to 2013 which the authors have appraised. Self-blame, guilt, and shame are common in bereaved parents, albeit to varying degrees, with differential relationships to sex, and diminishing over time. There is some evidence that guilt and shame predict more intense grief reactions and that self-blame predicts posttraumatic symptomology, anxiety, and depression in bereaved parents. Heterogeneity of the studies and numerous methodological concerns limit the synthesis and strength of the evidence and the generalizability of the findings. Self-blame, guilt, and shame are commonly experienced by bereaved parents. Awareness of these affective states may assist clinicians in the identification of bereaved parents who are at a higher risk of developing adverse psychological outcomes. Overall, self-blame, guilt, and shame have received very little attention in the bereavement research, leaving many unanswered questions. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed. Self-blame, guilt, and shame are common in bereavement and may hinder the healthy progression of mourning (Buckle & Fleming, 2011;Humphrey, 2009;Rando, 1986 , 1989). However, self-blame, guilt, and shame have received relatively little attention in parental bereavement research. Reviews of guilt and shame in bereavement are either not current or comprehensive, narrative in style and therefore more susceptible to researcher bias or focused on various types of bereavement rather than parental bereavement specifically (Buckle & Fleming, 2011;Humphrey, 2009;Rando, 1986). Miles and Demi (1986) have proposed the only current theory of guilt in bereaved parents. While clinicians acknowledge that self-blame, guilt, and shame often hinder the progression of normal grieving, there are currently no robust, empirically tested theories of self-blame, guilt, and shame in bereaved parents to guide either diagnoses or interventions. This is the first systematic review of the literature on self-blame, guilt, and shame in bereaved parents characterized by a specific research question, inclusion and exclusion criteria, an explicit search strategy, systematic data extraction procedure, coding and analysis of the studies, methodological appraisal, and a synthesis of the available evidence text. These characteristics reduce the likelihood of reviewer bias or selective citation and provide readers with the information necessary to appraise both the included studies and the systematic review itself (Mulrow, 1994;Pai et al., 2004).Defining Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame Both guilt and shame are self-conscious emotions involving self-blame (Tangney & Salovey, 1999) and, because they are intimately related, they are more difficult to observe as separate phenomena (Blum, 2008;Kubany & Watson, 2003;Silfver, 2007). ...

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The psychosocial effects of miscarriage: Implications for health professionals.

Cited by 37 publications

References 17 publications

Exploring the Increased Odds of Divorce Following Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Exploring the Increased Odds of Divorce Following Miscarriage or Stillbirth

The psychological and social consequences of miscarriage

A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Self-Blame, Guilt, and Shame

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