Journal article
Sharing Loss Online: Social Media as a Tool for Navigating Stillbirth Grief
Midwifery, Vol.161, pp.1-8
2026
PMID: 42501492
Abstract
Background
Stillbirth has profound implications for parents and families, including trauma and prolonged grief. Research indicates that social support is pivotal for parents bereaved by perinatal loss. However, there is limited research considering women’s experiences of informal online support following stillbirth loss specifically.
Objective
This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of women living in Australia who engaged with informal online support following stillbirth.
Method
In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 women aged 29 to 45 years (Mage = 34.46, SD = 4.67) who had engaged with informal online support following stillbirth.
Findings
Through inductive and deductive thematic analysis, the researchers generated two key themes; ‘It Takes a Village’ and ‘A Double-Edged Sword’ and five sub-themes; ‘Finding the Village’, ‘Grieving in the Village’, ‘Leaving the Village’, ‘Triggers and Challenges’, and ‘A Sense of Safety and Connection’.
Conclusions
Interpreted through Worden's Task-Based Grief Model, informal online support was found to support bereaved mothers as they navigated stillbirth loss. Participants described the benefits of informal online support as they grappled with their new reality, expressed their grief, adjusted to life following loss, and developed enduring bonds. Despite challenges of triggering content and comparison, participants valued the perceived accessibility, safety, control, and connection provided by informal online support. Bereaved mothers requested warm referrals from health services to better facilitate timely access to online support.
Implications
These findings have clinical implications for trauma-informed healthcare referral pathways, suggesting the need for targeted promotion of online resources to better support women bereaved by stillbirth.
Details
- Title
- Sharing Loss Online: Social Media as a Tool for Navigating Stillbirth Grief
- Authors
- Sea Sternbaum - University of the Sunshine CoastZalia Powell (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastCindy Davis - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- Midwifery, Vol.161, pp.1-8
- Publisher
- Churchill Livingstone
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.midw.2026.104932
- ISSN
- 1532-3099
- PMID
- 42501492
- Copyright note
- © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).
- Data Availability
- The data that support the findings of this study are available from author Z Powell upon reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991247299602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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