Just World Beliefs as a Predictor of Pregnancy Loss Beliefs in the United States: A National Survey

Abstract

Just World Beliefs are a tendency to believe the world is inherently fair. The strength of these beliefs correlates with victim derogation, including blaming victims of medical pathology. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate whether the strength of belief in a just world predicts beliefs about the etiologies of early pregnancy loss. In total, 911 adults living in the United States were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed a web-based assessment of their views on causes of pregnancy loss and a validated measure of just world beliefs. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to evaluate the association between just world belief strength and beliefs about internal and external causes of spontaneous pregnancy loss. Compared to participants with weak just world beliefs, respondents with strong just world beliefs were more likely to attribute a pregnancy loss to benign reproductive choices (contraception use or a prior abortion) and daily activities (prolonged standing, engaging in an argument) that are within an individual’s control, while minimizing the contribution of factors that cannot be controlled (fetal genetic abnormalities). Understanding belief systems contributing to miscarriage stigma may help to develop stigma-reducing interventions for both patients and the general public.