Improving mental health outcomes after early pregnancy loss: evaluation of the integrated M-HELP intervention

Up to one in four known pregnancies ends in miscarriage, which is frequently associated with significant psychological distress. Despite its prevalence, the emotional impact of miscarriage is often underestimated, and healthcare providers report feeling underprepared to offer adequate emotional support. To address this gap, we previously developed M-HELP (Mental Health and Early Loss of Pregnancy): an integrated intervention to improve emotional care around miscarriage. Here, we empirically evaluate the effectiveness of M-HELP at improving mental health outcomes following miscarriage.

Using a quasi-experimental sequential post-test-only design with a control group, patients and partners who had recently experienced miscarriage completed psychometric assessments of mental health outcomes at two Australian private hospitals.

Participants in the intervention group reported significantly improved emotional wellbeing, including more positive affect balance and reduced symptoms of postnatal depression than participants in the control group. Additionally, they reported more sensitive and appropriate language use by healthcare providers.

These findings indicate that the M-HELP intervention was associated with improved mental health outcomes following miscarriage, and establish M-HELP as the first empirically-validated, evidence-based intervention to improve emotional care for miscarriage in hospital settings.