A qualitative examination of safety needs and support-seeking in online social platform engagement after pregnancy loss

Despite the grief and psychological distress experienced by many individuals after pregnancy loss, this topic is often shrouded in societal stigma and silence within Western contexts. These individuals can find it difficult to open up about their loss experiences, and to feel supported by their personal and professional networks. As past literature has identified online support communities as environments where specific populations can come together to exchange support among those with shared experiences, this indicates the potential value of these communities among those affected by pregnancy loss. However, these environments can also pose a range of safety risks to users, including exposure to misinformation and emotionally-sensitive content. Therefore, this thesis examines user experiences of engaging with online social platforms (e.g. social media; online discussion forums) after pregnancy loss. The work has overarching aims of utilising qualitative research methods to: examine how users currently work to meet their safety and support-seeking needs on these platforms; identify where they experience challenges in this regard; and determine how safer and more rewarding online experiences among this population can be supported through future research and practice. As this research is situated within the fields of HCI and CSCW, the work also consistently considers the role of sociotechnical design factors in user experiences. The research specifically examines how these factors currently support and limit user needs and practices, and considers how user experiences can be further enhanced through future design responses. The research aims of this thesis are addressed through a qualitative systematic review and three empirical studies, each utilising distinct qualitative methods to examine the needs and practices of participants when engaging with online social platforms after pregnancy loss. The systematic review provides an overview of existing qualitative research examining online platform experiences after pregnancy loss, and the empirical studies then further develop this understanding by directly addressing key research gaps identified in the review. Specifically, the empirical studies examine how users navigate cross-platform experiences after pregnancy loss, the practical needs of this population in relation to the design and management of online pregnancy loss communities, and the experiences of the moderators who manage and maintain these online pregnancy loss communities. Across these three studies, the thesis includes the voices of 116 total participants addressing online platform engagement after pregnancy loss. This empirical research is informed by the trauma-informed care (TIC) framework, specifically within the design and execution of each empirical study. This body of work indicates the importance of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness among users engaging with online social platforms after pregnancy loss. The work has provided extensive examples of how these needs can be exercised and supported through thoughtful user practices and sociotechnical factors, while also identifying key instances where these needs can be further addressed through technical and non-technical responses. This thesis addresses the importance of collective stakeholder responses to support safer and more rewarding user engagement with online platforms after pregnancy loss in the future. The sociotechnical design recommendations presented throughout the work have specific relevance to HCI and CSCW researchers, and online platform designers. However, wider recommendations for supporting user competence in the online support-seeking process are also outlined for healthcare professionals and staff from charity organisations who engage with individuals affected by pregnancy loss in offline contexts. Therefore, this thesis yields novel and multi-faceted insights into online sharing and support-seeking needs and practices after pregnancy loss, and presents evidence-based recommendations for how these user experiences can be further supported through future research and practice.

Grantor dc:publisher

University College Cork

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Murphy, Stephanie

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Foley, Sarah
• Morrissey, Kellie
• McCarthy, John

• Pregnancy loss
• Online communities
• Online support
• Social media
• Qualitative research

Statement dc:rights

• © 2025, Stephanie Murphy.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10468/18905

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cora.ucc.ie:10468/18905