Mahaffey Brittain L, Tilley Jacqueline L, Molina Lucero K, Gonzalez Adam, Park Elyse, Lobel Marci
Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Birth. 2022 Jun;49(2):253-260. doi: 10.1111/birt.12598. Epub 2021 Oct 16.
Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is common among childbearing women, and there is substantial evidence that persistent high levels of stress during pregnancy are associated with adverse birth outcomes and poorer postpartum mental health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the idiographic experiences of women who experienced elevated PNMS during their current or most recent pregnancy.
Six focus groups were conducted, and data were collected from 26 women (n = 16 pregnant and n = 10 postpartum) at a large medical center in the United States (US). Data from the semi-structured focus group prompts were analyzed by two independent raters using conventional content analysis .
Three key themes emerged from the data: (1) Navigating Changing Circumstances, (2) Being a "Good" Mother, and (3) Loss of Control and Autonomy.
The current study offers one of the first in-depth examinations of the experiences of highly stressed pregnant women using a qualitative approach and identifies stressors rarely described in quantitative research. These findings suggest that women's ability to prioritize their self-care, and receive structural/institutional supports in the workplace and instrumental support at home, and overall health literacy promote successful coping with stress and highlight important future directions for intervention.
产前母亲压力（PNMS）在育龄妇女中很常见，有大量证据表明孕期持续高水平的压力与不良分娩结局及产后较差的心理健康状况有关。因此，本研究的目的是考察在当前或最近一次孕期经历过高水平PNMS的女性的独特经历。
在美国一家大型医疗中心开展了6个焦点小组访谈，并从26名女性（16名孕妇和10名产后女性）中收集数据。来自半结构化焦点小组访谈提示的数据由两名独立评分者采用传统内容分析法进行分析。
数据中出现了三个关键主题：（1）应对不断变化的情况，（2）做一名“好”母亲，（3）失去控制和自主权。
本研究首次采用定性方法对高压力孕妇的经历进行了深入考察，并识别出定量研究中很少描述的压力源。这些发现表明，女性自我护理优先排序的能力、在工作场所获得的结构性/制度性支持以及在家中获得的工具性支持，以及整体健康素养，有助于成功应对压力，并突出了未来重要的干预方向。
