The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Adjustment Following Pregnancy Loss

Abstract

There are a variety of constraints to accessing social support following pregnancy loss that can negatively impact women. Being able to seek and receive needed social support following pregnancy loss may be further complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The current study explored the experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth. Results showed that the pandemic exacerbated women’s feelings of grief, trauma, depression and anxiety. These findings indicate that addressing the mental health needs of women who have experienced pregnancy loss during the pandemic should be evaluated and addressed.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• miscarriage
• stillbirth
• mental health
• grief

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, AF, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

A. Freedle

Dr. Freedle is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and Human Services in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Lindenwood University. Dr. Freedle received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Stirling, Scotland, her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Valparaiso University, Indiana and her Ph.D in Counselor Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Her research focuses include trauma, grief and loss. Specifically, Dr. Freedle’s current line of research explores factors related to individuals’ experiences of differential mental health outcomes following pregnancy loss. She has presented her research at national and international conferences. She is an active member of the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Alliance (PLIDA), an organization that serves as a leader in perinatal and neonatal bereavement care and is currently serving as a committee member on the Diversity and Equity committee to improve experiences following perinatal loss for diverse families. Dr. Freedle is also a licensed professional counselor in the state of Missouri with a certificate in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), a model of clinical problem solving for individuals who have experienced trauma.

D. D. Iyer

Dishika Deepak Iyer did her Bachelors in English Literature from Mumbai, India, got her MFA in Creative Writing from Lindenwood University, and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Professional Counseling at Lindenwood University. She is an accomplished poet with her works published in a few international journals and served as a resident proofreader for Sonic Boom Magazine, India. Her interest lies in bringing together creative writing and counseling to form her own expressive arts therapy and use her passion for writing to advocate and write for mental health. She sees herself working with adults while specializing in play therapy, narrative therapy, and trauma-focused therapies.

M. Miller

Maria Miller received her B.S in Psychology and B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She is currently a graduate student in the Professional Counseling program at Lindenwood University. Her areas of focus include perinatal mental health, trauma, and mindfulness. Maria is also an emotional intelligence writer whose work enjoys global readership and has been translated into multiple languages. Her emotional intelligence facilitation has brought her to work with clients at Google Headquarters, Columbia University, and Stanford Children’s Health Hospital. Maria is also a yoga teacher and enjoys weaving mindfulness and acceptance practices into her work as both a counselor and facilitator.