A Mixed-Methods Study of Experiences During Pregnancy Among Black Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Emily Dove-Medows, Jean Davis, Lindsey McCracken and 4 others
PMID 35476770WHAT IT FOUND
Black pregnant women described grief over cancelled showers and classes, plus anxiety about one-person visitor limits forcing them to choose between partners and family.
Telehealth felt impersonal. They feared hospital exposure for themselves and newborns, leaving them isolated.
Key findings
01Participants mourned the cancellation of 'rites of passage' like infant showers and childbirth classes, viewing these losses as removing celebration and preparation for the new infant.
02One-person visitor restrictions caused significant distress, forcing women to choose between support persons and leaving them worried about lacking adequate emotional and physical support during labor and postpartum.
03Telehealth visits were experienced as impersonal due to mask-wearing and physical distance, and some women missed in-person care because they could not bring necessary caregivers to appointments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (35 participants) and drawn from only two states in the Midwestern US, limiting generalizability. Interviewers were not race-matched to participants, which may have influenced the depth or honesty of responses regarding racial experiences. Data collection was restricted to telephone interviews, which can hinder relationship building compared to in-person methods. The survey items were developed specifically for this study and had not been previously validated for reliability or validity.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this study as evidence that telehealth or visitor restrictions are clinically unsafe or ineffective for all populations. This paper reports subjective experiences and emotional impacts from a small, specific sample of Black women during the early pandemic. It does not measure clinical outcomes like infection rates or birth complications.