Experiences of Social Support Among Chinese Pregnant Women of Advanced Maternal Age: A Qualitative Study.
Jing-Ping Yang, Lin Zhang, Feng Xue and 1 others
PMID 42015419WHAT IT FOUND
Older pregnant women in China relied on husbands, friends and colleagues, but described little help from parents or health professionals and found benefit vouchers hard to use.
Ask who supports them and what information they lack.
Key findings
01All participants reported good support from spouses during pregnancy.
02Participants described weak help from parents or parents-in-law and insufficient support from health professionals.
03Most participants reported inadequate information support and barriers to using government benefit vouchers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one tertiary hospital in Guangzhou and included only married women in the third trimester with singleton pregnancies and no health complications, so it may not apply to other women or settings. Women with mental illness, substance or alcohol abuse, severe organ dysfunction or admission to labour and delivery were excluded. 34 eligible women were approached and 21 were analysed; 7 declined, 5 had scheduling conflicts and 1 withdrew consent. Face-to-face interviews may have led participants to give socially acceptable answers rather than their true feelings. Data were collected in 2019, before the pandemic, and healthcare delivery and social interaction patterns have since changed.
Declared interests
The study was funded by a hospital-level research project at The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, China. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that social support improves maternal or fetal outcomes. This study reports how 21 women described their support experiences, not a tested intervention.