Ramos Isabel F, Campos Belinda, Schetter Christine Dunkel
University of California, Irvine.
University of California, Los Angeles.
J Lat Psychol. 2022 Nov;10(4):277-290. doi: 10.1037/lat0000208. Epub 2022 Apr 21.
Prior research indicates that Latinas are at risk for experiencing high levels of anxiety during pregnancy. Pregnancy anxiety is a specific affective experience involving fears and worries about one's current pregnancy and it has been linked to heightened risk for preterm birth and developmental effects. Despite this concerning pattern, research has rarely examined Latina beliefs about the transition to motherhood and little is known about specific sources of pregnancy anxiety in Latinas, including whether fears are rooted in cultural concerns. The present study investigates the experiences of pregnancy anxiety among Latinas and explores their broader cultural beliefs surrounding pregnancy.
Fourteen pregnant Latinas articulated their experience of pregnancy anxiety, how they coped with their anxiety, and the beliefs they held surrounding pregnancy in 11 individual interviews and one focus group of three participants, all conducted in Spanish.
Thematic analysis revealed that overall, Latinas felt that anxiety during pregnancy was normal, and that they worried about labor and delivery, losing their baby, their baby being born with a birth defect, and felt affected by the broader sociopolitical climate. Latinas felt lucky to be pregnant, believed that pregnancy was a blessing from God, and stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Themes about family involvement and culturally-driven privileged status also emerged.
The present study highlights specific themes that may be important to consider in the context of Latina perinatal health. Such findings set the stage for future investigations examining the experience of anxiety specific to pregnancy in Latinas.
先前的研究表明，拉丁裔女性在孕期有经历高度焦虑的风险。孕期焦虑是一种特定的情感体验，包括对当前怀孕的恐惧和担忧，并且与早产风险增加及发育影响有关。尽管存在这种令人担忧的情况，但研究很少考察拉丁裔女性对于为人母转变的看法，对于拉丁裔女性孕期焦虑的具体来源知之甚少，包括恐惧是否源于文化方面的担忧。本研究调查了拉丁裔女性孕期焦虑的经历，并探讨了她们围绕怀孕的更广泛文化观念。
对14名怀孕的拉丁裔女性进行了11次个人访谈和一次由三名参与者组成的焦点小组访谈，所有访谈均用西班牙语进行，她们阐述了自己孕期焦虑的经历、应对焦虑的方式以及围绕怀孕所持的观念。
主题分析显示，总体而言，拉丁裔女性觉得孕期焦虑是正常的，她们担心分娩、失去宝宝、宝宝出生时有出生缺陷，并且感到受到更广泛社会政治氛围的影响。拉丁裔女性为怀孕感到幸运，认为怀孕是上帝的恩赐，并强调保持孕期健康的重要性。关于家庭参与和文化驱动的特权地位的主题也浮现出来。
本研究突出了在拉丁裔围产期健康背景下可能需要考虑的特定主题。这些发现为未来研究拉丁裔女性特有的孕期焦虑经历奠定了基础。
