Arab Muslims' Perceptions of Perinatal Loss Care in the United States of America

Maryam Alaradi, Marianne H. Hutti, Nikki Chaffin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

One in four American women will experience a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death each time she becomes pregnant. These perinatal losses occur even more frequently in women who are immigrants from developing countries. Care of Muslim families after perinatal loss is based primarily on expert opinion as opposed to research evidence, as few, if any, studies exist on this topic. It is critically important to know what parent's preferences for care actually are, since care that is incongruent with the desires of the bereaved parents may intensify their grief. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of immigrant Arab Muslims regarding psychosocial bereavement practices common in the United States after perinatal loss and to pilot test an investigator-developed instrument for collecting data regarding culturally relevant psychosocial bereavement practices of immigrant Arab Muslims after perinatal loss. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design using an investigator-developed instrument entitled the Arab Muslim Perceptions of Perinatal Loss Care (AMPPLC). The AMPPLC, available in both English and Arabic, was used to collect data on perinatal loss care from a convenience sample of 79 immigrant Arab Muslim adults (male n = 43 [54.4%]; female n = 36 [45.6%]). The study opened in June 2017 and closed in August 2019. The AMPPLC instrument demonstrated good reliability (α = 0.89) in measuring participants' responses. Responses by survey participants did not always agree with prior published literature on Muslim preferences after a loss. Optimal care for Arab Muslim immigrants involves offering all options that are typically part of Western bereavement care as well as options that may be more specifically associated with Islam. This information will enable healthcare providers to provide more culturally sensitive and compassionate care to Middle Eastern Muslim parents during this difficult and tragic experience.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1838-1846
Number of pages9
JournalHealth and Social Care in the Community
Volume30
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

  • Arab
  • Muslim
  • bereavement
  • parents
  • perception
  • perinatal care
  • perinatal loss

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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