Perceptions on the use of the Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention in recurrent pregnancy loss.

RESEARCH QUESTION: How do patients perceive the Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention (PRCI) helped them to sustain their coping during the early waiting stages of a new pregnancy after recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)?

DESIGN

This study was a secondary analysis of qualitative process data collected as part of a feasibility two-centred randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of the PRCI on the psychological well-being of women with RPL.

RESULTS

Inductive thematic analysis identified three themes: 'PRCI prevents further falling', 'PRCI stimulates positive coping' and 'PRCI is used as a coping resource'. Together, these three themes contributed to the main theme of 'PRCI sustains coping'. The study identified that the PRCI was a 'go to' resource in times of strong emotional need, perceived to generate benefits in psychological well-being by stimulating positive coping, restoring depleted coping resources, and providing micromoments of psychological respite from the stress of the waiting period of a new pregnancy following RPL.

CONCLUSIONS

This secondary analysis provided insight into the potential mechanisms of action of the PRCI during the early waiting period of a new pregnancy following RPL. Together, these suggest that the PRCI may bolster resilience, and suggest this psychological construct as a direction for further research on effects of the PRCI.