Survey finds ‘myths’ surrounding miscarriages in Hong Kong worsens plight of women and couples
- More than 90 per cent in survey hold wrong belief that miscarriages are caused by long-term stress
- ‘Taboos’ around pregnancy and miscarriage lead to poor support for people who have suffered loss, survey finds
Hong Kong lacks public understanding and support for couples who suffer a miscarriage, with more than 90 per cent of people in a survey mistakenly believing a loss in pregnancy was the result of long-term stress, researchers have found.
An online survey by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) found that myths related to miscarriages persisted, which led to “counterproductive” condolences to couples who had experienced them.
Celia Chan Hoi-yan, the deputy head of the department of social work and social administration at HKU who led the study, said misunderstandings and taboos around pregnancy and miscarriage resulted in a lack of support for those who had suffered loss in pregnancy.
“Hong Kong is still a very traditional Chinese community. Although we are seen as metropolitan, people are very traditional and they still have a lot of misconceptions about miscarriage,” Chan said.
“Most of the pregnancy losses are actually related to physiological causes. For example, chromosomal abnormalities or some cervical issues. So there are huge misconceptions about the causes of miscarriage.”
The survey, funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, analysed information from 913 respondents drawn from community network and social media platforms in May, including 168 who had experienced miscarriage.