POST-MISCARRIAGE HEALING PRACTICES: CULTURAL BELIEFS, TRADITIONS AND TABOOS IN VILLAGE ANDROT, AZAD JAMMU & KASHMIR

Abstract

With an emphasis on cultural beliefs and customs around pregnancy loss, this qualitative study investigates post-miscarriage healing practices in Village Androt, Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The findings of this study show that women's experiences and coping mechanisms are greatly influenced by the idea of "Pachawa" (evil eye), which is connected to spiritual causes of miscarriage. These insights underscore the importance of culturally responsive healthcare interventions that respect local beliefs in enhancing reproductive health outcomes, particularly given the scarcity of existing literature on the subject. An unstructured interview guide was prepared to collect in-depth information from the 21 respondents that has faced miscarriage. For this ethnographic study, twenty-one in-depth interviews were conducted by applying a purposive sampling technique to choose the participants. The recorded interviews were transcribed for doing a thematic analysis. The field notes were separated into various themes. The results of this study emphasize the shame and social stress that women experience following a miscarriage, which frequently leads to social exclusion and limited involvement in community activities. The research adds important knowledge to the understanding of women's health challenges in rural areas by shedding light on these cultural frameworks.