Experience of Miscarriage versus Stillbirth: Differences in Fear of Childbirth, Adjustment Disorder, and Optimism

Abstract

Associations between fear of childbirth (FOC), diagnosis and symptoms of adjustment disorder (AD), and dispositional optimism as a personal resource were compared between women who experienced miscarriage versus stillbirth (N = 204). Severity of AD symptoms was higher among the women following stillbirth Severity of FOC components did not differ between the two groups. No differences were found between the women who experienced miscarriage versus stillbirth in the associations between dispositional optimism and FOC or between dispositional optimism and AD. Healthcare providers should acknowledge that although types of reproductive losses may differ, FOC did not differ following both miscarriage and stillbirth.