Alexander Amir, Mustafa Aesha, Emil Sarah A V, Amekah Ebenezer, Engmann Cyril, Adanu Richard, Moyer Cheryl A
*Minority and Health Disparities International Research Training Program,University of Michigan,Ann Arbor, MI,USA.
‡St Luke's Hospital,Apam,Ghana.
J Biosoc Sci. 2014 Sep;46(5):669-85. doi: 10.1017/S0021932013000412. Epub 2013 Aug 21.
This study aimed to explore pregnant women's attitudes towards the inclusion of a lay companion as a source of social support during labour and delivery in rural central Ghana. Quantitative demographic and pregnancy-related data were collected from 50 pregnant women presenting for antenatal care at a rural district hospital and analysed using STATA/IC 11.1. Qualitative attitudinal questions were collected from the same women through semi-structured interviews; data were analysed using NVivo 9.0. Twenty-nine out of 50 women (58%) preferred to have a lay companion during facility-based labour and delivery, whereas 21 (42%) preferred to deliver alone with the nurses in a facility. Women desiring a companion were younger, had more antenatal care visits, had greater educational attainment and were likely to be experiencing their first delivery. Women varied in the type of companion they prefer (male partner vs female relative). What was expected in terms of social support differed based upon the type of companion. Male companions were expected to provide emotional support and to 'witness her pain'. Female companions were expected to provide emotional support as well as instrumental, informational and appraisal support. Three qualitative themes were identified that run counter to the inclusion of a lay helper: fear of an evil-spirited companion, a companion not being necessary or helpful, and being 'too shy' of a companion. This research challenges the assumption of a unilateral desire for social support during labour and delivery, and suggests that women differ in the type of companion and type of support they prefer during facility deliveries. Future research is needed to determine the direction of the relationship--whether women desire certain types of support and thus choose companions they believe can meet those needs, or whether women desire a certain companion and adjust their expectations accordingly.
本研究旨在探究加纳中部农村地区孕妇对于在分娩过程中引入非专业陪伴者作为社会支持来源的态度。从一家农村地区医院前来接受产前护理的50名孕妇处收集了定量的人口统计学和与妊娠相关的数据，并使用STATA/IC 11.1进行分析。通过半结构化访谈从这些孕妇中收集了定性的态度问题；数据使用NVivo 9.0进行分析。50名女性中有29名（58%）更倾向于在医疗机构分娩时有非专业陪伴者，而21名（42%）则更倾向于在医疗机构中独自与护士一起分娩。希望有陪伴者的女性更年轻，产前检查次数更多，受教育程度更高，且可能是首次分娩。女性对于她们更喜欢的陪伴者类型（男性伴侣还是女性亲属）各不相同。根据陪伴者类型的不同，在社会支持方面的期望也有所不同。男性陪伴者被期望提供情感支持并“见证她的痛苦”。女性陪伴者则被期望提供情感支持以及工具性、信息性和评价性支持。确定了三个与引入非专业帮助者相悖的定性主题：对有邪念的陪伴者的恐惧、陪伴者没有必要或没有帮助以及对陪伴者“过于害羞”。本研究对分娩过程中对社会支持的单方面渴望这一假设提出了挑战，并表明女性在医疗机构分娩时对陪伴者类型和支持类型的偏好存在差异。未来需要进行研究以确定这种关系的方向——是女性渴望某些类型的支持从而选择她们认为能够满足这些需求的陪伴者，还是女性渴望某一特定陪伴者并相应地调整她们的期望。
