Motivations and expectations of pregnant women using psychoactive substances during prenatal care: phenomenological study.
Júlia Oliveira Silveira, Mara Regina Caino Teixeira Marchiori, Andressa da Silveira and 4 others
PMID 39083837WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women using psychoactive substances sought prenatal care to protect their babies, avoid losing custody, and follow family habits.
They wanted clear guidance, trust, and nonjudgmental care rather than pressure to stop.
Key findings
01Women described prenatal care as shaped by learning from family members and by fear of losing custody if care was missed.
02They expected professionals to explain what was happening, give useful guidance, and make them feel safe during prenatal visits.
03They wanted staff to believe their reports about reduced or stopped use and to understand that stopping was difficult.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included 25 pregnant women from one primary care service in southern Brazil, so the themes may not apply to other places. The researcher was a nursing student already known to some participants through prenatal visits and health education groups, which may have affected what women said. The paper did not examine income, access to education, or job opportunities, so economic pressure was not considered. Because this was a qualitative study of experiences and expectations, it did not test whether any communication or care strategy changes prenatal attendance or birth outcomes.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict of interest declaration is reported in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that trust or harm reduction counselling improves prenatal attendance or birth outcomes. It is a qualitative study of 25 women's experiences, not a test of an intervention.