Grief and Post-traumatic Growth Following Miscarriage: The Role of Meaning Reconstruction and Partner Supportive Communication

This study used the meaning reconstruction model of bereavement and the theory of conversationally induced reappraisals to investigate factors that influence the association between grief following a miscarriage and post-traumatic growth. Participants included 298 women who had experienced a miscarriage within the previous year. As predicted, a moderate level of grief corresponded with the most post-traumatic growth among bereaved mothers and meaning reconstruction and partner supportive communication moderated this association. The results clarify how grief is integral to post-traumatic growth in the aftermath of a miscarriage and how intrapersonal and interpersonal coping resources can foster post-traumatic growth in the face of grief.