DOCSLIB.ORG

A Phenomenological Investigation of Women's Infertility and Miscarriage

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Phenomenological Investigation of Women's Infertility and Miscarriage Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 8-2019 A Phenomenological Investigation of Women’s Infertility and Miscarriage Grief Experiences Tristan McBain Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons, and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons Recommended Citation McBain, Tristan, "A Phenomenological Investigation of Women’s Infertility and Miscarriage Grief Experiences" (2019). Dissertations. 3501. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/3501 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF WOMEN’S INFERTILITY AND MISCARRIAGE GRIEF EXPERIENCES by Tristan D. McBain A dissertation submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Western Michigan University August 2019 Doctoral Committee: Glinda Rawls, Ph.D., Chair Alan Hovestadt, Ed.D. Gary Bischof, Ph.D. Robert Powell, Ph.D. Copyright by Tristan D. McBain 2019 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are several individuals I wish to acknowledge for their contributions toward the completion of this dissertation and my own professional development throughout the doctoral program. First, I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Glinda Rawls, and my doctoral committee: Drs. Alan Hovestadt, Gary Bischof, and Robert Powell. I cannot adequately capture in words the growth that I have gained from your mentorship and feedback on this project. There are also a number of WMU faculty that I wish to recognize for the sharing of their knowledge, time, and resources. The faculty are: Drs. Patrick Munley, Stephen Craig, Jennifer Foster, Patricia Reeves, Mark St. Martin, Carla Adkison-Johnson, Joseph Morris, Beverly Vandiver, Stephanie Burns, Kelly McDonnell, and Crystal Duncan-Lane. I would also like to express my gratitude to the sixteen women who participated in this study and were the lifeblood of this project. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their enduring support and encouragement. I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge Pacha, Harlow, my late Zeke, and especially Joey, who all spent countless hours by my side, on my feet, or in my lap for every word of this dissertation. Tristan D. McBain ii A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF WOMEN’S INFERTILITY AND MISCARRIAGE GRIEF EXPERIENCES Tristan D. McBain, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 2019 Infertility and miscarriage are reproductive losses that often produce grief reactions in affected women. This phenomenological study investigated the grief experiences of infertility and miscarriage through the ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief frameworks in order to better understand both the obscurity of reproductive loss and how the resulting grief may be invalidated. Sixteen women volunteered to participate in this study and each fell into one of the following three categories: women affected by infertility without miscarriage (4); women affected by miscarriage without infertility (4); and women affected by infertility and miscarriage (8). A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was utilized to uncover the meaning of the participants’ grief experiences related to infertility and miscarriage and the themes that emerged were the result of a recursive process of thematic analysis. Themes that related to the ambiguity of the loss included: (a) loss of normative life experiences; and (b) a more personal loss. Themes that related to how the grief is disenfranchised included: (a) stigma leads to silence; (b) a lack of clear grieving rituals; and (c) elements of insensitive encounters. Finally, themes that related to improving counseling services for affected women included: (a) further training; (b) increasing access to appropriate resources; and (c) characteristics of validating support. Participants indicated that most people acknowledge that reproductive loss produces grief, however; what they believe can be improved is how other individuals understand the pervasiveness of their pain. Implications for the counseling profession and areas for future research are discussed. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 Overview of the Study Topic .............................................................................. 1 Infertility .................................................................................................... 1 Miscarriage ................................................................................................ 2 Disenfranchised Grief ................................................................................ 3 Ambiguous Loss ........................................................................................ 3 Focus of the Study .............................................................................................. 4 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................... 4 Purpose Statement ...................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 8 Definition of Terms .................................................................................. 10 Summary ........................................................................................................... 10 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 13 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 13 Infertility ........................................................................................................... 14 Definitions and Statistics ......................................................................... 14 The Study of Infertility ............................................................................ 18 Miscarriage ....................................................................................................... 40 ii Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER Definitions and Statistics ......................................................................... 40 The Study of Miscarriage ......................................................................... 42 Grief Within the Field of Counseling ............................................................... 70 Clinical Definitions and Guidelines ......................................................... 70 Counselor Training and Ability to Work with Grieving Clients ............. 72 Infertility Grief ......................................................................................... 74 Miscarriage Grief ..................................................................................... 75 Disenfranchised Grief ....................................................................................... 76 Typology of Disenfranchised Grief ......................................................... 77 Counseling Interventions ......................................................................... 79 Applications of Disenfranchised Grief .................................................... 80 Ambiguous Loss ............................................................................................... 80 Assumptions of the Theory ...................................................................... 82 Counseling Interventions ......................................................................... 83 Applications of Ambiguous Loss ............................................................. 85 Summary ........................................................................................................... 85 III. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 87 Research Design ............................................................................................... 87 Phenomenological Approach ................................................................... 87 Research Questions .................................................................................. 89 Role of the Researcher ............................................................................. 90 iii Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER Participants ............................................................................................... 92 Sampling Strategy and Recruitment ........................................................ 94 Informed Consent ..................................................................................... 96 Data Collection Methods ......................................................................... 98 Data Procedures ....................................................................................... 99 Data Analysis ........................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Please Don't Praise It: How Compliments on Identity Signals
    ASSOCIATION FOR CONSUMER RESEARCH Labovitz School of Business & Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth, 11 E. Superior Street, Suite 210, Duluth, MN 55802 Please Don’T Praise It: How Compliments on Identity Signals Result in Embarrassment Lisa A. Cavanaugh, University of Southern California, USA Joseph C. Nunes, University of Southern California, USA Young Jee Han, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea Four studies show that receiving a compliment related to an identity signal often results in embarrassment, an arguably unforeseen and generally unwelcome self-conscious emotion. Consumer embarrassment depends on the conspicuousness of the signal as well as the extent to which the signal and one’s beliefs about oneself are incongruent. [to cite]: Lisa A. Cavanaugh, Joseph C. Nunes, and Young Jee Han (2016) ,"Please Don’T Praise It: How Compliments on Identity Signals Result in Embarrassment", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 44, eds. Page Moreau and Stefano Puntoni, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 70-75. [url]: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1021685/volumes/v44/NA-44 [copyright notice]: This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in part, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at http://www.copyright.com/. My Heart on my Sleeve: Emotion as Information in a Social World Chair: Yimin Cheng, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China Paper #1: Please Don’t Praise It: How Compliments on Identity to signal intrinsic (vs. extrinsic or control) motivation strategically Signals Result in Embarrassment display larger smiles to potential observers. Lisa A. Cavanaugh, University of Southern California, USA These informational effects of emotions may at times be highly Joseph C.
    [Show full text]
  • Loss and Grief for Children in Care: Additional Notes
    Loss and Grief for Children in Care Additional Notes and References for the workshop This Educational Module has been developed by: Ms Liz Crowe BSW Private Consultant Phone: 041 723 7740 Email: [email protected] Dr. Judith Murray BA(HonsI) DipEd BEdSt PhD Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology School of Social Work and Applied Human Sciences Room 405 McElwain Building (Building 24A) The University of Queensland St. Lucia Q 4072 Australia Phone: (07) 3365 7181 International Phone: +61 7 3365 7181 Fax: (07) 3365 4466 Email: [email protected] Copyright Dr. Judith Murray 2005 Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology School of Social Work and Applied Human Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia Q 4072 Australia Licensed to the Department of Child Safety within Queensland This work is copyright. Permission is given to reproduce this work by photocopying or other duplicating processes for use by agencies and organisations when training foster carers. In all reproductions Ms Liz Crowe and Dr Judith Murray and the University of Queensland must be acknowledged. This permission does not extend to the making of copies for hire or resale to third parties. In all other circumstances all rights are reserved. Title to and intellectual property rights in this work belong to Dr Judith Murray and Liz Crowe in the state of Queensland, as represented by the University of Queensland. Table of contents Introduction..................................................................................................................7 A note on terms.......................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • Emotional Fortitude: the Inner Work of the CEO
    FEATURE Emotional fortitude The inner work of the CEO Benjamin Finzi, Mark Lipton, Kathy Lu, and Vincent Firth Emotional fortitude: The inner work of the CEO Emotional fortitude—the ability to stay clear-headed while exploring one’s emotional reactions to sources of tension—can improve a CEO’s resilience to the stressors of decision-making and lead to better decision outcomes. HETHER AT A large, established firm or a work” that effective CEOs perform as they journey fast-growing one, making decisions through the decision-making process and live with Wwhile staring disruption in the face may the consequences. be the most grueling element of being a CEO. Data feels insufficient. Assumptions feel tenuous. Options feel How can CEOs increase their constrained. Timing feels rushed. chances of making an optimal Outcomes feel binary: The decision either takes the organization in the right decision when all of the direction or the wrong one. alternatives may not be known, Yet executives—particularly CEOs—are when time is not on their side, expected to be the most qualified people in their organization to make decisions. and when emotions play a central CEOs, perhaps more than those in any role before, during, and after the other executive role, feel enormous pressure to get it “right.” Even the most decision is made? level-headed CEO is apt to experience sleepless nights and personal doubts about the choices they make and the consequences The intellectual and emotional that result. If the decision ultimately proves to be a tensions of perilous decisions poor one, there is no one else to blame.
    [Show full text]
  • Examining Defensive Distancing Behavior in Close Relationships
    Examining defensive distancing behavior in close relationships: The role of self-esteem and emotion regulation Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Monica E. Lindgren, B.A. Psychology Graduate Program The Ohio State University 2012 Thesis Committee: Professor Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., Advisor Professor Julian Thayer, Ph.D. Professor Jennifer Cheavens, Ph.D. i Copyrighted by Monica E. Lindgren 2012 ii Abstract The risk regulation model proposes that people with low self-esteem (LSE), but not those with high self-esteem (HSE), react to potential threats to belonging by defensively distancing from their relationships. The present study hypothesized that self-focused rumination following threats to belonging, by forcing people with LSE to spend time considering their self-worth, would enhance this defensive distancing behavior. Participants were asked to recall self-relevant feedback they had received from someone they considered very close, and then completed a rumination or distraction task. Contrary to expectations, LSEs who were instructed to distract from threats to belonging reported more negative behavioral intentions towards their close other than those who were instructed to ruminate. However, in comparison to distraction, there was a trend for rumination to amplify LSEs’ negative affect following the recalled threats to belonging. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for risk regulation theory and for possible future directions. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, for all her support, feedback, and guidance over the past few years.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspectives on Gratitude As an Emotion
    Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspectives on Gratitude as an Emotion Bachelor Degree Project in Cognitive Neuroscience Basic level 15 ECTS Spring term 2016 Mirna Solaka Supervisor: Kristoffer Ekman Examiner: Judith Annett GRATITUDE; AS AN EMOTION 2 Abstract Gratitude is an emotional response when people feel grateful for the good things that happen to them or acknowledgment of a benefit received from another person. Gratitude is an important component of positive psychology and the world’s largest religions emphasize the importance of gratitude in their teaching. Research has begun to explore factors that enhance human life and one such factor is the effect of positive emotions on mental health outcomes. Gratitude is considered to be a positive emotion and grateful individuals tend to be happier, less depressed, less stressed and more satisfied with their lives. Gratitude may have a strong link with mental health and wellbeing and research has recently started to understand its positive effects. Despite the research findings showing the effectiveness of gratitude interventions, the neural mechanisms involved in gratitude are relatively unknown. It is important to investigate the neural processes involved in gratitude because it may provide clues as to how gratitude as a positive emotion can influence mental health and wellbeing. Gratitude has many definitions and this essay will present the different definitions of the experience of gratitude, what happens in the brain when experiencing gratitude and as a positive emotion and how
    [Show full text]
  • Family and Caregiver Education BEREAVEMENT
    Family and Caregiver Education BEREAVEMENT Why do I feel guilty? Guilt often plays a part in normal grieving. It seems to surface as one “reviews” the sequence of events leading up to and including the death of a loved one. This review process is natural. In fact, it is part of the healing process. But as one reviews, alternative choices and responses become apparent in hindsight. That’s when guilt can rear its head. Actually, there have been nine types of guilt identified in relation to the grieving process: * Death Causation Guilt Can occur whether the person was actually directly responsible for the death, or not at all responsible. The perception of responsibility is the driving factor. Illness-Related Guilt Focuses on the time period prior to and including the illness of a person who has died. Examples include: not believing the person was ill, not noticing symptoms that led to the illness and the death, saying or doing something negative during the illness, being angry at the person for being ill, etc. Role Guilt A role is an expected set of behaviors. When a person we care about dies, guilt may emerge concerning, “what I should have done with, or for,” this person (in relation to our role as parent, spouse, etc.). If Only Guilt Stems from the belief that the bereaved survivor could have done something to change the course of the illness and/or death. Much of it falls into the category of Magical Thinking (doing something, or failing to do something, that any reasonable person would say had no relationship to the death; but nonetheless, the person feels responsible for the death in some way).
    [Show full text]
  • A State Gratitude Approach
    Is It Necessary for Gratitude to Have an Object? A State Gratitude Approach Shueh-Chin Ting, Professor, Department of Education, National University of Tainan, Taiwan ABSTRACT Is it necessary for gratitude to have an object? What are the objects of gratitude? Previous studies have not yet made clarifications on this subject, indicating that there are still unclear areas in the basic concept of gratitude. According to past literature, gratitude can be divided into trait gratitude and state gratitude. This study explores state gratitude. We interviewed 15 adults who have experience with gratitude, asking them to share their gratitude story. We found that even though their reasons for being grateful are different, they all expressed that their gratitude has an object. The object of their gratitude included people, God, the earth, and animals. We found that when the interviewees indicated that their gratitude was directed towards people, classmates, wives, teachers, officials, parents, and even enthusiastic strangers were mentioned. Keywords: emotion, gratitude, reciprocity RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND MOTIVES At present, studies have shown individuals who express gratitude has positive outcomes on oneself, for example, well-being (Toussaint & Friedman, 2009; Wood, Joseph, & Maltby, 2009); has positive effects on others, for example, altruism (Bartlett & DeSteno, 2006; Tsang, 2006); has positive effects on the organization, for example, creating repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth (Soscia, 2007) and producing long term performance benefits (Palmatier, Jarvis, Bechkoff, & Kardes, 2009). Therefore, gratitude is a topic worth advocating. If gratitude can be effectively utilized in society and in management systems, it can contribute to social harmony and organizational performance.
    [Show full text]
  • Tips for Survivors: COPING with GRIEF AFTER COMMUNITY VIOLENCE
    ∙ Tips for Survivors: COPING WITH GRIEF AFTER COMMUNITY VIOLENCE It is not uncommon for individuals and communities as year. It’s different for each person depending on his or her a whole to experience grief reactions and anger after an health, coping styles, culture, family supports, and other life incident of community violence. Grief is the normal response experiences. How long people grieve may also depend on the of sorrow, emotion, and confusion that comes from losing resilience of the community and the ability of its members to someone or something important to you. Most people will take on roles and responsibilities that will help restore the basic experience a natural occurrence of grief after the death of needs of the community, such as getting children back to a loved one, but grief and anger can be the result of other school and businesses back to working again. types of losses. In situations of community violence, people may experience the loss of their sense of safety, their trust Reactions to Community Violence in Children in those who live in their neighborhood, or their trust in local government. The trauma and grief of community violence Witnessing community violence and death can be traumatic can be experienced by all involved. experiences that cause negative mental health outcomes, particularly for children. Close relationships are important to This tip sheet contains information about some of the signs children’s development, and the loss of family or a community of grief and anger and provides useful information about member can represent the loss of social capital—the emotional how to cope with grief.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Study of the Bell Jar and the Poetry of a Few Indian Women Poets
    AKHTAR JAMAL KHAN, BIBHUDUTT DASH Approaches to Angst and the Male World: A Comparative Study of The Bell Jar and the Poetry of a Few Indian Women Poets Pitting Sylvia Plath’s speakers against male chauvinism is a usual critical practice, but this antinomy primarily informs her work. Most of her writings express an anguish that transcends the torment of the individual speakers in question, and voices or represents the despair of all women who undergo similar anguish. As David Holbrook writes: “When one knows Sylvia Plath’s work through and through, and has penetrated her inner topography, the confusion, hate and madness become frighteningly apparent” (357). The besetting question is what causes this angst. Apparently, a stifling patriarchal system that sty- mies woman’s freedom seems to be the cause of this anguish. However, it would be lopsided to say that Plath’s work is simply an Armageddon between man and woman. This paper compares Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar (1963) and the poetry of a few twentieth-century Indian women poets such as Kamala Das, Mamta Kalia, Melanie Silgardo, Eunice de Souza, Smita Agarwal and Tara Patel to study the angst experienced by the speakers and their approaches to the male world. Here, the term ‘male world’ refers to any social condition where man overtly or tacitly punctuates a woman’s life. Thus, it precisely refers to a patriarchal social order. Talking about twentieth-century poetry and making references to the posi- tion of women poets, John Brannigan writes: “In their time, Elizabeth Jennings, Sylvia Plath and Eliza- beth Bishop seemed isolated and remote from the male-dominated generation of the fifties and sixties” (Poplawski 632).
    [Show full text]
  • Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin De Siècle Art and Literature
    Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin de Siècle Art and Literature Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin de Siècle Art and Literature Edited by Rosina Neginsky, Marthe Segrestin and Luba Jurgenson Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin de Siècle Art and Literature Edited by Rosina Neginsky, Marthe Segrestin and Luba Jurgenson This book first published 2020 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2020 by Rosina Neginsky, Marthe Segrestin, Luba Jurgenson and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-4383-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-4383-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations ..................................................................................... ix Introduction .............................................................................................. xiv Part I: Thresholds Chapter One ................................................................................................. 2 Le Pays intermédiaire saloméen: un lieu entre expérience de l’angoisse et libération créatrice – The Salomean Land Between: A Place between Experience of Anguish and Creative Liberation Britta Benert Chapter Two .............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Guilt, Shame, and Grief: an Empirical Study of Perinatal Bereavement
    Guilt, Shame, and Grief: An Empirical Study of Perinatal Bereavement by Peter Barr 'Death in the sickroom', Edvard Munch 1893 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Behavioural Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Sydney November, 2003 Preface All of the work described in this thesis was carried out personally by the author under the auspices of the Centre for Behavioural Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. None of the work has been submitted previously for the purpose of obtaining any other degree. Peter Barr OAM, MB BS, FRACP ii The investigator cannot truthfully maintain his relationship with reality—a relationship without which all his work becomes a well-regulated game—if he does not again and again, whenever it is necessary, gaze beyond the limits into a sphere which is not his sphere of work, yet which he must contemplate with all his power of research in order to do justice to his own task. Buber, M. (1957). Guilt and guilt feelings. Psychiatry, 20, p. 114. iii Acknowledgements I am thankful to the Department of Obstetrics and Department of Neonatology of the following hospitals for giving me permission to approach parents bereaved by stillbirth or neonatal death: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Royal Hospital for Women, Royal North Shore Hospital and Westmead Hospital. I am most grateful to Associate Professor Susan Hayes and Dr Douglas Farnill for their insightful supervision and unstinting encouragement and support. Dr Andrew Martin and Dr Julie Pallant gave me sensible statistical advice.
    [Show full text]
  • Applying ACT to Cases of Complex Depression: New Clinical And
    ApplyingApplying ACTACT toto CasesCases ofof ComplexComplex Depression:Depression: NewNew ClinicalClinical andand ResearchResearch PerspectivesPerspectives PartPart I:I: DepressionDepression withwith PsychosisPsychosis andand SuicidalitySuicidality Brandon Gaudiano, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Grant Support: NIH K23 MH076937 OutlineOutline ¾¾ ClinicalClinical FeaturesFeatures ofof PsychoticPsychotic DepressionDepression ¾¾ ACTACT forfor PsychosisPsychosis ResearchResearch ¾¾ TreatmentTreatment DevelopmentDevelopment ProjectProject ¾¾ ClinicalClinical ConsiderationsConsiderations ¾¾ CaseCase ExampleExample DepressionDepression withwith hallucinationshallucinations and/orand/or delusionsdelusions PsychoticPsychotic DepressionDepression ¾ PrevalencePrevalence ratesrates z 15-19% of individuals with depression have hallucinations or delusions (Ohayon and Schatzberg, 2002) z Up to 25% of depressed hospitalized patients (Coryell et al., 1984) ¾ PsychoticPsychotic depressiondepression cancan bebe difficultdifficult toto diagnosediagnose andand treat:treat: z psychotic features in mood disorders can be more subtle than those found in patients with primary psychotic disorders ¾ PsychoticPsychotic depressiondepression cancan bebe difficultdifficult toto diagnosediagnose andand treat:treat: z psychotic features in mood disorders can be more subtle than those found in patients with primary psychotic disorders z patients often underreport psychotic symptoms due to embarrassment or paranoia ¾ PsychoticPsychotic depressiondepression cancan
    [Show full text]