Moderating Role of Sense of Coherence on the Relationship between Grief and Embitterment among Women's Experiences Fetal Demise/Spontaneous Abortion

Abstract

A time of anticipation and support, bearing a child is an emotional journey defined by the promise and certainty of new life. However, some individuals and couples have a deep and often tragic experience in the middle of this joy and expectation: fetal demise/ spontaneous abortion. The intention of the current study is to examine the association between grief and embitterment for females who have undergone fetal demise/ spontaneous abortion. The study also aims to explore the buffering impact of a sense of coherence on the association between grief and embitterment. Data from 200 married women who experienced fetal demise/ spontaneous abortion was collected in person and online by using a purposive sampling technique. For data collection, three reliable scales were used, namely the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) for grief, the Traumatic Embitterment Disorder Self-Rating Scale (PTED) for embitterment, and the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale for measuring sense of coherence. Results of the study suggest a positive relationship between grief and embitterment. As grief increases, embitterment also increases. Sense of Coherence helps to decrease the impact of embitterment. Sense of Coherence significantly moderates the association between grief and embitterment. The study implications were examined.