Dr. Jennifer Bute
Professor, Communication Studies
Indiana University, Indianapolis
Adjunct Faculty, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
IU School of Liberal Arts
Translational Scholar
IUPUI Center for Translating Research into Practice
About Me
Research Interests
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interpersonal communication about health, with an emphasis on everyday conversations about health, illness, and healing
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.improving conversations between patients and health care providers
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communicative coping in the context of reproductive grief
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communication to manage food allergies
Community Service and Partnerships
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Health Care Task Force for the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care
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Outcomes Research Advisory Board for Food Allergy Research & Education
Latest Publication
“There's no time limit on grief:” Women's perspectives on a novel reproductive grief screening tool
Objective: Women who have experienced reproductive loss (i.e., miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion) evaluated the usefulness of a novel screening tool, Reproductive Grief Screen (RGS), to identify patients struggling with ongoing, complicated grief.
Methods: This mixed-methods study involved U.S. women who had experienced reproductive loss. Online data collection resulted in 27 interviews and 282 surveys completed. Perceptions of and preferences about RGS were thematically analyzed. Chi square analyses assessed relationships between demographics and tool preferences.
Results: RGS validated women's experiences with grief after reproductive loss. Women noted their providers may be unaware of their loss(es). Participants requested periodic screening using RGS beginning shortly after a loss (or during new patient intake) and occurring regularly (e.g., annually). Overall, women preferred completing RGS online before an appointment, though preferences varied by demographics (i.e., age, time since loss). Participants want providers to compassionately discuss RGS results with them and offer appropriate resources.
Conclusion: The RGS can help identify largely ignored grief after reproductive loss.
Innovation: Findings from group and individual interviews and a survey of women who have coped with reproductive loss suggest that use of a brief RGS tool could reshape clinical practice to aid women who might be facing complicated grief. Moreover, women expressed clear preferences for how to implement use of the RGS in clinical contexts.