Psychology Department, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Br J Health Psychol. 2011 Sep;16(3):528-41. doi: 10.1348/135910710X528710. Epub 2011 Mar 9.
In sub-Saharan African countries, there are unique cultural factors and adverse physical conditions that contribute to women's experiences of pregnancy and birth. The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore women's experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, the postnatal period, and maternal psychological distress in The Gambia.
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 55 women who had given birth within the previous year.
Thematic analysis identified five themes: (1) transition to adulthood, (2) physical difficulties, (3) value of children in relation to others, (4) children as a strain, and (5) going through it alone. The results suggest that having a child is a defining point in women's lives associated with happiness and joy. However, women also described situations which could lead to unhappiness and distress in the perinatal period. A child conceived out of wedlock or a baby girl can be sources of distress because of negative cultural perceptions. The strain of having a child, particularly the additional financial burden, and minimal support from men were also a concern for women. Finally, women recognized the danger associated with delivery and expressed recurrent worries of complications during childbirth which could result in the death of them or the baby.
Further research is needed to identify women vulnerable to psychological distress so that health services and target interventions can be developed accordingly.
在撒哈拉以南非洲国家，存在独特的文化因素和不利的自然条件，这些因素影响着女性的妊娠和分娩体验。本研究旨在定性探讨冈比亚女性的妊娠、分娩、产后经历和产妇心理困扰。
对过去一年内在冈比亚分娩的 55 名女性进行了半结构化访谈。
主题分析确定了五个主题：（1）向成年期过渡，（2）身体困难，（3）孩子的价值与他人的关系，（4）孩子是一种负担，以及（5）独自经历。结果表明，生孩子是女性生活中的一个决定性时刻，与幸福和喜悦相关。然而，女性也描述了在围产期可能导致不幸福和困扰的情况。非婚生子或女婴可能会因负面的文化观念而成为困扰的来源。养育孩子的压力，尤其是额外的经济负担和来自男性的微薄支持，也令女性感到担忧。最后，女性认识到分娩带来的危险，并反复担心分娩过程中可能出现的并发症，这可能导致她们或婴儿死亡。
需要进一步研究以确定易患心理困扰的女性，以便相应地开发卫生服务和目标干预措施。
