Role of the partner in coping strategies used by women after miscarriage

Miscarriage is potentially stressful and traumatic. The objective of this study is to determine the link between partner support, use of coping strategies and the intensity of reaction to the loss. One hundred and six women participated in this study. Correlation analyses show that satisfaction with partner support is inversely associated with feelings of guilt and depression. In addition, availability and satisfaction related to the partner support are associated with seeking social support. Seeking social support is associated with grief resolution and depression. The results suggest that partner support should prove a positive influence on a woman's capacity to adjust to miscarriage enabling women to use adaptive coping strategies that in turn lower depressive levels and provide a better resolution of the grief process. (C) 2012 Societe francaise de psychologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.