Women's Views of the Preterm Labor Experience

Marlene C. Mackey and Marcia A. Coster-Schulz
Additional contact information
Marlene C. Mackey: University of South Carolina College of Nursing
Marcia A. Coster-Schulz: University of South Carolina College of Nursing

Clinical Nursing Research, 1992, vol. 1, issue 4, 366-384

Abstract: This study used a naturalistic approach to describe the childbearing woman's views of her preterm labor and delivery experience. Specifically, the aim was to identify how women describe, interpret, and manage preterm labor and subsequent preterm or term delivery. The views of 20 women who were hospitalized for preterm labor (before 37 weeks) were documented with semistructured, tape-recorded, in-depth interviews during their hospilization for preterm labor and after delivery. Qualitative data analysis focused on the process of becoming a preterm labor patient and on living with a diagnosis of preterm labor. Women either waited for a period of time before seeking care or sought care immediately for the symptoms they were experiencing. Women interpreted the experience by identifying causes of preterm labor and by worrying about the outcome for the baby. Managing preterm labor required extensive, moderate, or limited changes in their lives. Women who delivered at term appeared to have more tangible help than those who delivered preterm. A better understanding of women's preterm labor experiences will provide clues to nurses on how to improve the care they provide.

Date: 1992
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105477389200100406 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:clnure:v:1:y:1992:i:4:p:366-384

DOI: 10.1177/105477389200100406

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Clinical Nursing Research
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().