The purpose of this feminist qualitative study was the development of a psychosocial intervention to reduce the number of low birthweight babies among lower income, socially isolated, pregnant, African American women. Using data from both group and individual interviews, we constructed a series of interactive sessions. The focus of these sessions was skill building, both to develop self-esteem and to access social support; and acknowledgment of the pregnant women's lives and experiences.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aaronson, L. S. (1989). Perceived and received support effects on health behavior during pregnancy. Nursing Research, 38, 4-9.
2.
Bernstein, L. , & Bernstein, R. S. (1990). Interviewing: A guide for health professionals. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
3.
Blumer, H. (1967). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
4.
Cohen, S. (1988). Psychosocial models of the role of social support in the etiology of physical disease. Health psychology, 7(3), 269-297.
5.
Collins, P. H. (1990). Black feminist thought. New York: Routledge.
6.
Denzin, N. K. , & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
7.
Goldman, A. E. & McDonald, S. S. (1987). The group depth interviews: Principles and practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
8.
Gottlieb, B. H. (1978). The development and application of a classification scheme of informal helping behaviors. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 10, 105-115.
9.
Hall, J. M. , & Stevens, P. E. (1991). Rigor in feminist research. Advances in Nursing Science, 13(3), 16-29.
10.
Hogue, C. J. , & Hargraves, M. A. (1993). Class, race, and infant mortality in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 83(1), 9-12.
11.
hooks, b. (1990). Yearning: Race, gender, and cultural politics. Boston, MA: South End Press.
12.
Institute of Medicine, Committee to Study the Prevention of Low Birthweight . (1985). Preventing low birthweight. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
13.
Janesick, V. (1994). The dance of qualitative research design: Metaphor, methodolatry, and meaning. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 209-219). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
14.
Johnson, B. S. (1986). Psychiatric mental health nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
15.
Johnson, H. M. (1986). How do I love me?Salem, WI: Sheffield.
16.
Kingrey, M. J. , Tiedje, L. B., & Friedman, L. L. (1990). Focus groups: A research technique for nursing. Nursing Research, 39(2), 124-125.
17.
Kruegger, R. A. (1988). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
18.
Merton, R. K. , Fiske, M., & Kendall, P. L. (1956). The focused interview: A manual of problems and procedures. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
19.
Morgan, D. L. (1988). Focus groups as qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
20.
Norbeck, J. S. , & Anderson, N. J. (1989). Psychosocial predictors of pregnancy outcomes in low-income black, Hispanic, and white women. Nursing Research, 38, 204-209.
21.
Norbeck, J. S. , Dejoseph, J. F., & Smith, R. T. (in press). A randomized trial of an empirically-derived social support intervention to prevent low birthweight. Social Science and Medicine.
22.
Norbeck, J. S. , & Tlhden, V. P. (1983). Life stress, social support, and emotional disequilibrium in complications of pregnancy: A prospective, multivariate study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(1), 30-46.
23.
Olesen, V. (1994). Feminisms and models of qualitative research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 158-174). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
24.
Patton, M. Q. (1980). Inductive analysis. In M. Q. Patton (Ed.), Qualitative methods (pp. 306-329). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Schoendorf, K. C. , Hogue, C., Kleinman, J. C., & Rowley, D. (1992). Mortality among infants of black as compared with white college-educated parents. New England Journal of Medicine, 326(23), 1522-1526.