The relationship between disclosure, social reactions, rumination and posttraumatic growth following miscarriage.

Abstract

Due to the stigmatized nature of miscarriage, women face many barriers to disclosure and adequate social support, which may impact positive, postloss adjustment. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among self-disclosure, positive social reactions to disclosure, and cognitive processes (i.e., rumination) on women's experiences of positive psychological change following miscarriage. Women who had experienced miscarriage (n = 227) were recruited via social media and completed an online survey that assessed their disclosure, positive social reactions following disclosure, event-related rumination, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Loss context factors and demographics were also collected. Hypotheses were tested via hierarchical multiple regression and PROCESS macro. The results indicated that disclosure and positive social reactions predicted PTG and that the relationship between positive social reactions and PTG was mediated by deliberate rumination. The findings suggest that disclosing one's trauma and distress may foster changes in cognitive processing. Also, the response women receive following the disclosure of pregnancy loss was related to their PTG. This study contributes to the literature by providing support for applying posttraumatic growth theory to women who have experienced pregnancy loss.

Posttraumatic growth in women after a childbirth experience: The influence of individual characteristics and intrusive and deliberate rumination.

“…However, other variables not considered in this study can be important in this process. For instance, social support can be of high importance for understanding the link between rumination and PTG since disclosing one’s trauma and distress can facilitate the meaning-making process and contribute to increasing deliberate rumination, as found in other contexts of trauma (e.g., Freedle & Oliveira, 2022; Shang et al, 2022).…”

Internal growth of women with recurrent miscarriage: a qualitative descriptive study based on the post-traumatic growth theory

“…The findings provide evidence confirming that PTG can positively influence social relationships with others. Therefore, women suffering from a miscarriage can achieve growth through resilience by adopting rumination and intervention strategies, ultimately improving their quality of life with emotional support and education [ 31 , 32 ].…”

Interpersonal and intrapersonal factors contributing to women’s posttraumatic growth following perinatal loss.

“…Interpersonal processes can also be related to individuals' experiences of PTG. Factors such as self-disclosure, support seeking, perceived social support, and positive social response to disclosure have been associated with greater PTG (Albuquerque et al, 2018; Freedle & Oliveira, 2021). Having someone who can provide constructive support may assist in the development of new schemas (Tedeschi et al, 2018).…”