Department of Clinical Midwifery, School of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
PLoS One. 2024 Jul 11;19(7):e0307021. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307021. eCollection 2024.
Childbirth-related mortality and morbidity affect many women globally, especially in low-income countries like Ethiopia. Obstetric fistula-a preventable condition mainly caused by prolonged and obstructed labor-can lead to physical, psychological, and social challenges, affecting women's social participation and inclusion.
This study aims to understand women's social participation and inclusion experiences post-obstetric fistula surgery.
This study is part of a larger research project investigating the social inclusion process of women who have had obstetric fistula surgery in Ethiopia. For this study, we conducted a qualitative exploration of women's experiences, guided by a constructivist grounded theory approach. Twenty-one women discharged from fistula treatment facilities following obstetric fistula surgery were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Data was analyzed using Charmaz's inductive analysis approach, which involves an initial line-by-line coding followed by focused coding to identify the most significant codes. Subsequently, sub-themes and themes were developed from the focused codes.
The data analysis revealed four themes reflecting the women's experiences of social participation and inclusion. These are the experience of recovery and the journey toward social participation, participating in expected and meaningful activities, the continued challenge with a romantic relationship, and formal and informal support. Overall, the women who received fistula surgery reported positive life changes, especially regarding their physical well-being. However, they continued to face social challenges such as financial hardship, reproductive health problems, and issues with marriage and family life, which negatively impacted their social participation and inclusion experiences.
While more research is needed, the findings of this study suggest that the social aspects of obstetric fistula are crucial for healthcare professionals to consider. Providing appropriate care and support to address unmet social relationship, employment, and childcare needs could enable women to lead fulfilling lives.
分娩相关的死亡和发病影响着全球许多女性，尤其是在埃塞俄比亚等低收入国家。产科瘘——一种主要由长时间和受阻的分娩引起的可预防疾病——可导致身体、心理和社会挑战，影响妇女的社会参与和包容。
本研究旨在了解产科瘘手术后妇女的社会参与和包容经历。
本研究是一项关于埃塞俄比亚产科瘘手术后妇女社会包容过程的大型研究项目的一部分。在这项研究中，我们采用建构主义扎根理论方法，对 21 名从瘘管治疗机构出院的妇女进行了半结构化访谈，以了解她们的经验。使用 Charmaz 的归纳分析方法对数据进行分析，该方法包括初始逐行编码，然后是重点编码，以确定最显著的代码。随后，从重点代码中发展出子主题和主题。
数据分析揭示了反映妇女社会参与和包容经历的四个主题。这些主题是恢复和参与社会活动的经历、参与预期和有意义的活动、浪漫关系的持续挑战以及正式和非正式支持。总的来说，接受瘘管手术的妇女报告了积极的生活变化，尤其是在身体方面。然而，她们仍然面临社会挑战，如经济困难、生殖健康问题以及婚姻和家庭生活问题，这些问题对她们的社会参与和包容经历产生了负面影响。
虽然还需要更多的研究，但本研究的结果表明，产科瘘的社会方面对于医疗保健专业人员来说是至关重要的。提供适当的护理和支持，以满足未满足的社会关系、就业和育儿需求，可以使妇女过上充实的生活。
