Academic Journal
Hope as a therapeutic resource in pregnancy after loss: operationalising woman-centred support in midwifery care.
| Τίτλος: | Hope as a therapeutic resource in pregnancy after loss: operationalising woman-centred support in midwifery care. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Filipa da Palma Correia A; Obstetric Unit, Unidade Local de Saúde do Algarve - Hospital de Faro, Faro, Portugal; São João de Deus School of Nursing, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal., Sofia do Couto Antunes M; São João de Deus School of Nursing, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal; Portuguese Red Cross Health School, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: monica.antunes@uevora.pt. |
| Πηγή: | Midwifery [Midwifery] 2026 Sep; Vol. 160, pp. 104889. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 01. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Churchill Livingstone Country of Publication: Scotland NLM ID: 8510930 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-3099 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02666138 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Midwifery Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Edinburgh ; New York : Churchill Livingstone, 1985- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Midwifery*/methods , Hope*, Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Grief ; Patient-Centered Care |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Pregnancy after loss constitutes a particularly vulnerable period characterised by the paradoxical coexistence of fear and hope. Despite growing recognition of this phenomenon, significant gaps remain in understanding how hope can be operationalised as a structured therapeutic resource in midwifery practice. Aim: This paper argues that hope can and should be operationalised as a structured, evidence-informed therapeutic intervention in midwifery practice, particularly in the care of women experiencing pregnancy after loss. Discussion: Drawing on contemporary theories of hope as a cognitive-motivational process and trauma-informed care principles and illustrated through a single practice-based clinical vignette, this paper advances a theoretically informed conceptual model for operationalising hope in pregnancy after loss. The discussion explores how woman-centred interventions can support the coexistence of fear and hope, foster adaptive meaning-making, and facilitate emotional engagement with the ongoing pregnancy, while maintaining clinical coherence and transferability across maternity care settings. Implications for Practice: This paper proposes that structured, evidence-informed interventions may meaningfully support women's emotional well-being during pregnancy after loss. The model challenges common practices of premature reassurance and suggests that fear and hope are not mutually exclusive. Midwives and maternity care providers can use hope-centred approaches to support women in reconstructing their parental project whilst honouring the memory of previous losses. Conclusion: Hope is not a passive emotional state but an active therapeutic resource that may be intentionally cultivated through structured midwifery interventions, advanced communication skills, and the capacity to tolerate uncertainty. (Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Hope theory; Midwifery; Perinatal grief; Pregnancy after loss; Trauma-informed care; Woman-centred care |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260603 Date Completed: 20260708 Latest Revision: 20260708 |
| Update Code: | 20260709 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.midw.2026.104889 |
| PMID: | 42235111 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1532-3099 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.midw.2026.104889 |