Perceptions on the use of the Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention in recurrent pregnancy loss

How do patients perceive the Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention (PRCI) helped them to sustain their coping during the early waiting stages of a new pregnancy after recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)?

This study was a secondary analysis of qualitative process data collected as part of a feasibility two-centred randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of the PRCI on the psychological well-being of women with RPL.

Inductive thematic analysis identified three themes: 'PRCI prevents further falling', 'PRCI stimulates positive coping' and 'PRCI is used as a coping resource'. Together, these three themes contributed to the main theme of 'PRCI sustains coping'. The study identified that the PRCI was a 'go to' resource in times of strong emotional need, perceived to generate benefits in psychological well-being by stimulating positive coping, restoring depleted coping resources, and providing micromoments of psychological respite from the stress of the waiting period of a new pregnancy following RPL.

This secondary analysis provided insight into the potential mechanisms of action of the PRCI during the early waiting period of a new pregnancy following RPL. Together, these suggest that the PRCI may bolster resilience, and suggest this psychological construct as a direction for further research on effects of the PRCI.