Is pregnancy loss (that) disenfranchised? Evidence from a vignette study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Grief Studies

Background:

• Societal disregard for grief following pregnancy loss (disenfranchised grief) intensifies psychological distress for bereaved parents.
• Understanding the societal perception of pregnancy loss grief is crucial for developing effective support systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the level of disenfranchised grief associated with pregnancy loss against four other types of loss.
• To examine the influence of the bereaved's gender on the perception of grief across different loss types.

Main Methods:

• A between-subjects design with 1,280 Turkish participants, utilizing randomly assigned vignettes depicting five distinct loss types and two genders.
• Participants reported expected grief levels and behavioral tendencies towards the bereaved.
• Data analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

Main Results:

• Pregnancy loss grief was perceived as higher than for a former colleague's death or a grandfather's Alzheimer's diagnosis.
• Expected grief for pregnancy loss was comparable to or higher than for a best friend's loss, but lower than for a child's loss.
• No significant differences in perceived grief or behavioral tendencies were found based on the bereaved's gender.

Conclusions:

• Pregnancy loss may be perceived as less disenfranchised by society than bereaved parents anticipate.
• Parental perceptions of disenfranchised grief following pregnancy loss represent a potential target for therapeutic interventions.