VOICES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SURVIVORS OF FETAL AND INFANT LOSS
EXPLORATION OF QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS
Supporting the centering of voices and lived experiences of Black parents navigating loss.
Pregnancy and infant loss can profoundly affect emotional well-being, relationships, and a person's experience with the healthcare system. Yet the experiences of Black parents navigating miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss remain underrepresented in research.
We are proud to have supported qualitative data collection and analysis efforts for research centered on the experiences of Black parents who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss. This work created space for participants to share their experiences in their own words—bringing attention to the emotional, relational, and systemic factors that shape how Black families experience loss.
Contributions towards this project included:
Participant-centered interviewing focused on lived experiences and perspectives
Coding and thematic analysis to identify recurring experiences and patterns
Communication of participant narratives encompassing emotional, social, and healthcare-related experiences
Research efforts focused on identifying opportunities to improve support and resources for Black families experiencing loss
Insights Gained:
7
person-centered narratives
types of loss explored: miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant mortality
3
4
central themes revealed
Examining experiences across these different forms of loss helped researchers identify common stressors as well as the complexity of grief and recovery.
Through descriptive coding and thematic analysis, researchers identified four overarching themes:
Internal conflict
Stages of grief
Social support systems
Challenging stressors
This exploration of experiences highlighted the importance of looking beyond clinical outcomes to understand what families need before, during, and after loss. Findings demonstrate that pregnancy and infant loss cannot be understood solely as a medical event, but as a complex experience affecting all domains.
A Qualitative Exploration of Stressors: Voices of African American Women who have Experienced Each Type of Fetal/Infant Loss: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Mortality. Journal of Black Psychology. (2023).