Relationship Between Women's Thoughts and Positive Psychological Changes after Pregnancy Loss.

What is it about?

A traumatic event such as pregnancy loss can shatter women’s core beliefs about the world. Repetitive thinking known as rumination seems to be an important factor in helping women restore or change their beliefs and facilitate their experience of positive psychological change after trauma known as posttraumatic growth (PTG). This study examined types of rumination to see what predicted women’s experience of PTG following pregnancy loss. Deliberate, or reflective, rumination mediated the relationship between challenges to women’s core beliefs and PTG. These results suggest that promoting women’s ability to make meaning after pregnancy loss is important in helping them adjust.

Featured Image

Photo by sickk vibes on Unsplash

Photo by sickk vibes on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Pregnancy loss can be a devastating and traumatic event that is often not socially recognized. Having to cope with loss in isolation may negatively impact women's psychological adjustment. However, focusing only on negative outcomes following trauma does not accurately capture individuals' full experience. Identifying factors that can contribute to positive psychological adjustment can help providers better understand the needs of those who lost their pregnancy and guide them toward recovery.