Paper Info
Title
Online Support Groups for Perinatal Loss: A Pilot Feasibility Study for Women of Color.
Abstract
We tested use of an online support group for women of color who had experienced stillbirth or early infant loss. We recruited recently bereaved mothers and asked them to participate in an existing online community for pregnancy and infant loss hosted on a commercial platform. Participants were asked to go online at least three times weekly for 6 weeks to read posts. Using a mixed-methods approach, we assessed attitudes toward online support, mental health, and experiences pre- and postintervention using written surveys and a brief phone interview. We used summary statistics for quantitative data and a deductive coding approach for qualitative data. Twenty participants completed the study. We found nonsignificant improvements in all four mental health domains (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, moderate-severe generalized anxiety, and perinatal grief). Women reported the group allowed them to help others and feel less alone. They also reported that at times, posts could increase the intensity of their loss emotions. This study demonstrated feasibility to recruit, retain, and track participation in an online support group for perinatally-bereaved mothers of color. Although the study was not powered for outcome, all mental health measures showed nonsignificant improvements, suggesting value in further investigating online social support for improving women's mental health after perinatal loss. Registered on clinicaltrials.gov [NCT04600076], October 19, 2020.
Year
DOI
Venue
2022
10.1089/cyber.2021.0304
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Keywords
DocType
Volume
Internet support groups,bereavement,online communities,perinatal loss,pregnancy loss,social media
Journal
25
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
8
2152-2715
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
0
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Katherine J Gold100.34
Martha E Boggs200.34
Melissa A Plegue300.34
Nazanin Andalibi412516.28