The experience of young women with gestational syphilis from the conceptual perspective of hope

Abstract

Objective To understand the hope of young women diagnosed with gestational syphilis in the context of prenatal care. Method: Qualitative research, based on thematic analysis, from the conceptual perspective of hope. It was developed in the state of São Paulo with young women diagnosed with gestational syphilis during prenatal care through semi-structured interviews and audio recordings conducted between July 2023 and April 2024. Results: Sixteen young women participated in the study, all self-identifying as black or mixed-race, four of whom were first-time mothers, and most had up to nine years of schooling. The experience of hope is portrayed in the following thematic units: “Threats to hope”, with the subtopics “Stigma and suffering” and “Restricted informational and social support”; and “Promoters of hope”, with the subtopics “Child protection” and “Self-preservation”. Conclusion: In prenatal care, women faced a dialectic of threatening and hope-promising contexts. In this sense, the following stood out, respectively: the incomplete professional support for emotional and informational needs, and the clarity of the desired objective (non-contamination of their child) associated with internalized reflection on the exercise of their maternal role.