Grant: Project Grant

In Canada, almost 1 in 4 women and people with uteruses will experience pregnancy loss. Pregnancy loss is associated with profound grief, sadness, hopelessness, confusion, shame, relationship strain, and mental health risk. These negative outcomes pose significant public health concerns. Despite how common pregnancy loss is, it remains unclear what factors influence one's ability to cope with such a loss. Crucially, what protects a woman or person with a uterus from more severe mental health or relationship outcomes post-loss? The overarching aim of this project is to explore how pregnancy loss relates to changes in mental health and relationship satisfaction over time and whether intrusive memories of the loss are associated with worse mental health and relationship outcomes. We will also examine factors that may protect against the negative effects of loss, including whether greater prior knowledge around pregnancy loss and sharing memories of the loss are associated with better mental health and relationship outcomes post-loss. Using an intensive longitudinal prospective design, we will follow 350 women and people with uteruses who experience pregnancy loss and 350 who do not experience pregnancy loss for a period of two years to test our hypotheses. Our work will identify key psychological and social factors that predict outcomes following pregnancy loss, filling a critical gap in academic research and healthcare practices. Specifically, findings from this work will inform the development of targeted resources to support mental health and well-being following pregnancy loss.