School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
Community Medicine- Clinical Psychology, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Nov 10;23(1):782. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-06089-0.
Social support during pregnancy can alleviate emotional and physical pressures, improving the well-being of mother and child. Understanding women's lived experiences and perceptions of social support during pregnancy is imperative to better support women. This systematic review explores and synthesises the qualitative research on women's experiences of social support during pregnancy.
Databases PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo and Scopus were searched with no year limit. Eligible studies included pregnant women or women who were up to one year postpartum and were assessed on their experiences of social support during pregnancy. The data were synthesised using the thematic synthesis approach.
Fourteen studies were included with data from 571 participating women across ten countries; two studies used focus groups, and 12 used interviews to collect their data. Four main themes were developed ('a variety of emotional support', 'tangible and intangible instrumental support', 'traditional rituals and spiritual support', and 'the all-encompassing natal home'), and six sub-themes ('female network connections', 'care and affection from the husband', 'dissatisfaction with relationships', 'financial support from the husband and family', 'practical support from family and friends', 'health information support').
This systematic review sheds light on women's experiences of social support during pregnancy. The results indicate a broad variety of emotional support experienced and valued by pregnant women from different sources. Additionally, women expressed satisfaction and dissatisfaction with tangible and intangible support forms. It was also highlighted that spirituality played an essential role in reducing stress and offering coping mechanisms for some, whereas spirituality increased stress levels for others.
怀孕期间的社会支持可以减轻情绪和身体压力，改善母婴的幸福感。了解女性在怀孕期间的社会支持体验和看法对于更好地支持女性至关重要。本系统综述探讨并综合了关于女性在怀孕期间社会支持体验的定性研究。
无年限限制地检索了 PubMed、CINAHL、MEDLINE、APA PsycInfo 和 Scopus 数据库。纳入的研究包括孕妇或产后一年以内的女性，评估其怀孕期间的社会支持体验。使用主题综合方法对数据进行综合。
纳入了 14 项研究，数据来自 10 个国家的 571 名参与女性；其中两项研究使用焦点小组，12 项研究使用访谈收集数据。确定了四个主要主题（“各种情感支持”、“有形和无形的工具性支持”、“传统仪式和精神支持”和“无所不包的分娩之家”）和六个子主题（“女性网络联系”、“丈夫的关心和爱护”、“对关系的不满”、“丈夫和家庭的经济支持”、“家人和朋友的实际支持”、“健康信息支持”）。
本系统综述揭示了女性在怀孕期间社会支持的体验。结果表明，来自不同来源的孕妇体验和重视广泛的情感支持。此外，女性对有形和无形的支持形式表示满意和不满意。还强调了灵性在减轻压力和为一些人提供应对机制方面的重要作用，而灵性在增加其他人的压力水平方面的作用。
