Psychological distress in recurrent miscarriage: The role of prospective thinking and role and goal investment

Recurrent miscarriage, the consecutive loss of three or more pregnancies before 24 weeks of gestation, affects some 1% of women of childbearing age and is associated with high levels of psychological distress. The current study examined psychological factors--relative role/goal investment and future-oriented thinking--that might predict variations in distress in women who had experienced recurrent miscarriage. Sixty-one women who did not yet have children and were attending a specialist recurrent miscarriage clinic were administered measures of current roles and goals and specific thoughts about the future. The main focus was on the extent to which current role and goal investment was over-invested in becoming a parent, relative to other goals, and future thinking was characterized by the presence of child-related thoughts and an absence of non-child-related thoughts. Consistent with predictions, levels of distress were associated with being over-invested in becoming a parent relative to other life roles and goals and having more negative child-related thoughts and fewer non-child-related positive thoughts about the future. Clinical implications are discussed and ideas for future research are suggested.