The loss of self: The effect of miscarriage, stillbirth, and child death on maternal self-esteem

Patricia Wonch Hill, Joanne Cacciatore, Karina M. Shreffler, Kayla M. Pritchard

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    34 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    A child’s death augments how grieving parents view the world, the family, and the self. Using a representative sample of women ages 25–45 who have ever given birth, we assessed whether miscarriage, stillbirth, and child death impact self-esteem and whether this loss is moderated by maternal identity. We found that stillbirth and child death, but not miscarriage, negatively impacted self-esteem. For those who experienced a loss, the impact on self-esteem was moderated by maternal identity. Women who experienced a stillbirth were the only group who had significantly lower self-esteem after controlling for background characteristics and maternal identity variables.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)226-235
    Number of pages10
    JournalDeath Studies
    Volume41
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Apr 21 2017

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Developmental and Educational Psychology
    • Clinical Psychology
    • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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