HOPE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT OF THAI WOMEN EXPERIENCING A MISCARRIAGE.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 116
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Social.
Description: Miscarriage is one of the common types of pregnancy loss. Clients with a miscarriage may experience a long term emotional sequelae of the loss if they do not cope effectively and do not receive adequate social support.

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to describe hope and social support of Thai women experiencing a miscarriage. The sample of convenience consisted of 125 Thai women with a confirmed diagnosis of miscarriage.

The conceptual framework guiding the study was derived from the Roy Adaptation Model and the constructs of hope and social support. The data collection instruments included the Demographic Data Questionnaire, the Herth Hope Scale, and the Personal Resource Questionnaire-Part 2. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze the data.

The findings indicated that 61.6% of the subjects had high hope scores, 38.4% had medium hope scores, 69.6% had high perceived social support scores, and 29.6% had medium perceived social support scores. Hope was positively related to social support (r =.56, p $<$.001). Perceived social support and age were found to be the predictors of hope and accounted for 31% of the variance of hope. Hope and highest years of education completed were the predictors of perceived social support and accounted for 32% of the variance of perceived social support.

A replication of the study with subjects in other geographic areas is recommended. A longitudinal study should be conducted to follow Thai women experiencing a miscarriage for a period of time to ascertain if the level of hope and perceived social support change over time. Additional studies are recommended to include other variables which influence the level of hope and social support. A replication of the study with women experiencing a miscarriage and their partners should be conducted. Both quantitative study and qualitative study are recommended to identify the strategies which enhance hope and promote social support of clients with pregnancy loss.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-11, Section: B, page: 4786.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1994.

School code: 0005.