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Megan Pinette, Psy.D., is a 2024 graduate of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

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Dr. Megan Pinette

Dissertation Committee:

  • Kathi Borden, PhD, Chairperson
  • Nancy Ruddy, PhD, Committee Member
  • Gina Pasquale, PsyD, Committee Member

Keywords

grief, resilience, posttraumatic growth, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is positive psychological change that can result from the struggle with trauma or other highly stressful events (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1999; Calhoun et al., 2010). The aim of this study was to capture the rich narratives of individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss and reported PTG. The narratives of ten participants were investigated to better understand what areas of posttraumatic growth they experienced following this often-devastating loss, as well as the processes that led to this growth. Participants of this study reported experiencing growth in the domains of (a) Relating to Others, (b) Personal Strength, (c) New Possibilities, (d) Appreciation of Life, (e) Spiritual Change, and (f) Altruistic Expansion. The findings of this study support the existing literature on posttraumatic growth, suggest future directions for research, offer recommendations for behavioral health and medical practitioners, and provide insight into the experience of growth following pregnancy loss. This study outlines strategies that may help facilitate this growth. It is my hope that this study will be a resource for those grieving the loss of a pregnancy, as well as a resource their friends, family, and professionals who wish to provide support through this process. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID: 0009-0001-7044-741X

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