Female Veterans: You are Invited to Participate in Research Study!

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Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research is to understand the experiences of women who miscarried during full-time active duty military service.

Procedures:

If you participate, you will complete the following activity:

•       You will receive a 5-minute eligibility screening phone call.

•       Be provided with an informed consent form and allowed to ask the researcher any questions or request clarification.

•       Receive the informed consent digitally to sign, and return via email. (10 minutes)

•       Schedule an interview with the researcher both audio and video are required for remote interviews though only the audio will be recorded via Zoom. (approximately 1 hour)

Who Can Participate:

You can participate in the study if you: 

a)    are you a female Veteran

b)    served honorably on full-time active duty military service from 1994 to 2020 with Veteran status

c)    experienced a miscarriage at or before the 12-week stage of the pregnancy

d)    only experienced one miscarriage during the period of 1994 to 2020

You are not eligible to participate if you:

a)    have experienced any stillbirths or abortions during the period of 1994 to 2020

b)    have been a member of the National Guard or Reserve branches, and

c)    have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder, or are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, depression, and/or anxiety that interfere with daily activities.

For the purpose of this study, stillbirths and abortions are distinct from miscarriages with miscarriages occurring before 20 weeks of pregnancy; stillbirths occurring after 20 weeks of pregnancy; and abortions being considered a medical procedure.

For the purpose of this study, an honorable discharge is required to mitigate any biases that may result from a less-than-honorable discharge.

This study is part of the researcher's doctoral education program. All communication and participation are confidential. Participation is optional and can be stopped at any time.

If you are interested, please contact the researcher:                                                                                      
Mary Billingsley   Phone: (804) 596-5058     Email:mbillingsley@capellauniversity.edu