- Title
- Pregnancy concerns and the fear of miscarriage: a miscarriage-specific implication or a social fear of failing in terms of womanhood?
- Creator
- Tsartsara , Eirini; Johnson, Martin P.
- Relation
- Hellenic Journal of Psychology Vol. 3, Issue 3, p. 197-226
- Relation
- http://www.pseve.org/journal/Articlesview.asp?key=68
- Publisher
- Ellenika Grammata - Hellenic Psychological Society
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2006
- Description
- Little is understood regarding the sources of women's concerns particularly during a pregnancy subsequent to a miscarriage. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the experience, concerns and meanings that expectant mothers ascribe to an ongoing pregnancy. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 17 British expectant mothers with various past reproductive histories, including that of miscarriage. The resultant verbatim transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Two themes emerged. The first, named "uncertainty of pregnancy", highlights the apprehensions and worries experienced by women regarding their pregnancy's course and their attempts to remain in control of such uncertainties. The second, named "the dual nature of pregnancy" portrays the meanings that women attached to their ongoing pregnancy: this represented a means of establishing their feminine identity and of experiencing an ultimate goal in life, that is, motherhood. IPA revealed that concerns and fears during pregnancy revolve around the fear of miscarrying. This fear and resultant concerns was experienced irrespective of a prior adverse reproductive history, but was more salient amongst women who had previously miscarried or had experienced difficulties with conceiving. It is proposed here that potential sources of pregnancy concerns for expectant mothers, and particularly for those with adverse reproductive histories, stem from fear of miscarriage, which, like infertility, may pose a serious threat to a woman’s feelings of femininity and cause considerable frustration.
- Subject
- fear of miscarriage; femininity; pregnancy concerns
- Identifier
- uon:962
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/26599
- Identifier
- ISSN:1790-1391
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