Assessing Interest in a Peer Support Person for Patients Experiencing Early Pregnancy Loss: Results from a National Survey

TL;DR

Most people who experience early pregnancy loss are interested in peer support and value informational and emotional help during recovery.

Contribution

This study quantifies high interest in peer support for early pregnancy loss and identifies key types of support desired.

Findings

98.2% of participants expressed interest in peer support for coping with early pregnancy loss.

Informational and educational support was the most prioritized type of assistance.

Higher self-compassion and resilience scores were associated with better coping ability.

Abstract

The use of a peer support person as an intervention for early pregnancy loss (EPL) is not well studied. In addition, limited literature exists regarding the type of support patients need when experiencing EPL. The objective of this study is to quantify interest in a peer EPL support person intervention, to assess the types of support desired following EPL, and to investigate if there is an association between self-compassion or resilience and coping ability post-EPL.

We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey with 110 individuals who experienced EPL in the past 2 years. Questions explored interest in a peer EPL support person and different types of support, as well as perceived self-compassion and resilience. Analyses of variance were used to test if interest in the peer support intervention and in different types of support varied by demographics, while linear regression modeling was used to test the relationship between self-compassion, resilience, and coping ability.

Nearly all participants (98.2%, n = 108) were interested in peer support. The majority (31.8%, n = 35) of participants prioritized informational and educational support at the time of their EPL and in the months following. There was a positive relationship between self-compassion scores and ability to cope with EPL (p = 0.2) and between resilience scores and coping ability (p < 0.05).

Almost all participants were interested in a peer support person for coping with EPL. Given the types of support participants identified in this study, a peer support person may provide emotional and informational support as well as resilience training.

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