Advertisement

Updated December 11th, 2019 at 11:58 IST

Instagram becomes coping mechanism for women dealing with miscarriage: Study

A recent study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that the content posted by Instagram users helps women deal with miscarriages.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Instagram
| Image:self
Advertisement

A recent study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that the content posted by Instagram users help women deal with miscarriage. The online content mostly included rich descriptions of the medical and physical experiences of miscarriage and coping with those emotions, the social aspect, and family identity. According to the research, about 10-20 per cent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage or loss of a fetus. It was in 2014 when Dr Jessica Zucker, a clinical psychologist specializing in women's reproductive and maternal mental health started a campaign on social media to address this cultural silence as, despite its common occurrence, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding miscarriage. 

Amy Henderson Riley, assistant professor at the Jefferson College of Population Health came across the campaign and teamed up with Rebecca Mercier, assistant professor and OB-Gyn doctor at Thomas Jefferson University to conduct a qualitative research study on 200 posts of text and pictures shared by Instagram users and in order to find out more about women and men who were sharing about their miscarriage experiences they published their findings. 

In the published research, Dr Riley states, “I find it endlessly fascinating that women are opening up to essentially strangers about things that they hadn't even told their partners or families”. She further added, "But this is how powerful this community is". 

Rebecca Mercier said, “What surprised me the most was how many women and their partners identified as parents after their miscarriage and how the miscarriage lasted into their family identity after a successful pregnancy. The extent to which this loss affects women and their families and the longevity of their grief is a blind spot for clinicians”. 

READ: Instagram Now Preventing Underage Users From Creating Accounts, Requires Birth Date

READ: Tourism Sector Set To Adopt Digital And Social Media Strategy

Social media: Avenue for patient testimonials

According to the study, the 200 personal accounts also provided insight into patients' perspectives of typically defined experiences. The research further also found out that many patients who had two or more miscarriages identified with having recurrent pregnancy loss. The study revealed that social media is becoming a common avenue for patient testimonials. It states that the social media platform TikTok has also recently become home for some users to make videos and share their personal health struggles. The platform has also become an avenue for doctors to interface with their patients and rapidly disseminate information from vaping to reproductive health. 

"As far as we know, this is the first study to look at the intersection of Instagram and miscarriage," Riley said. "But this is a drop in the bucket. Social media platforms are evolving rapidly and a theoretically grounded research must follow," she added.

"I'm hoping that this study will encourage clinicians to point patients to social media as a potential coping tool, as well as to approach this subject with bereaved and expecting parents with more respect and empathy," Mercier said. 

READ: It's Easy To Buy Likes, Comments On Facebook, Twitter, Other Social Media: Researchers

READ: Australia To Probe Foreign Interference Through Social Media Platforms

Advertisement

Published December 11th, 2019 at 11:35 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo