Social representations of mothers about gestational hypertension and premature birth

Authors

  • Nilba Lima de Souza Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Departamento de Enfermagem
  • Ana Cristina Pinheiro Fernandes de Araújo Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Centro de Biociências
  • Iris do Ceu Clara Costa Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Centro de Biociências

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692013000300011

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify the meanings attributed by mothers to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) and their consequences, such as premature birth and hospitalization of the infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHOD: A qualitative study, based on the Central Nucleus Theory, with 70 women who had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preterm delivery. We used the technique of free word association (FWAT) with three stimuli: high blood pressure during pregnancy, prematurity and NICU. RESULTS: We obtained 1007 evocations, distributed as follows: high blood pressure during pregnancy (335) prematurity (333) and NICU (339). These constituted three thematic units: representation of HDPs, prematurity and the NICU. The categories death and negative aspects were inherent to the three units analyzed, followed by coping strategies and needs for care present in HDPs and prematurity. CONCLUSION: The study had death as its central nucleus, and highlighted the subjective aspects present in the high risk pregnancy and postpartum cycle. It is hoped that this research will contribute to qualifying nursing care for women confronting the problem of HDPs, so that they can cope with less impacts from the adverse effects of high risk pregnancy and birth.

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Published

2013-06-01

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 3 (2013)

Section

Original Articles

License

RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.
Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Social representations of mothers about gestational hypertension and premature birth . (2013). Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 21(3), 726-733. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692013000300011