This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mackey, M. C. Articles by Boyle, J. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mackey, M. C. Articles by Boyle, J. S. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

An Explanatory Model of Preterm Labor

University of South Carolina

Joyceen S. Boyle, PhD, RN, FAAN

Medical College of Georgia

The purpose of this article is to describe women’s explanatory model of their preterm labor (PTL) experiences. Fourteen young adult (20 to 23 years of age) women living in the southeast, who were hospitalized for the treatment of PTL, participated in this naturalistic study. Stress was the dominant theme that all participants used to explain what had precipitated PTL. All women described multiple stressors and chaos in their lives, which preceded their admission to the hospital for PTL. Meanings of PTL were intertwined with dysfunctional families and problematic relationships. All 9 women who delivered at term were able to find a friend or family member to provide support that allowed the women to relax and reduce the stress in their lives. In contrast, women who delivered preterm had no one in their lives that could provide help and support. Women’s conceptualizations of PTL suggest that culturally appropriate interventions to reduce stress and mobilize support may help improve birth outcomes after an episode of PTL.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?