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- Ekelin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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A qualitative study of mothers' and fathers' experiences of routine ultrasound examination in Sweden.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Midwifery. - : Elsevier BV. - 1532-3099 .- 0266-6138. ; 20:4, s. 335-344
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: to conceptualise mothers’ and fathers’ thoughts and feelings before, during and after the routine ultrasound examination during the second trimester of pregnancy. Design, setting and participants: a grounded theory study. Two to four weeks after their ultrasound examination, 22 Swedish mothers and 22 fathers were interviewed in their homes. Findings: the basic social process was confirmation of a new life. The four categories, visualising—the evident option, overwhelming to see life; becoming a family and reassuring, all represent a time span in the parents’ process towards confirmation of a new life. The caregivers’ way of assisting and supporting the process by information and treatment was very important to parents. Key conclusions and implications for practice: as the ultrasound examination is perceived as a confirmation of a new life it is an extremely important milestone for both parents so the father should be encouraged to participate. It is an important and unique event for both women and men in their process towards becoming parents. This process was largely dependent on the treatment the parents had received during the examination and the information given. The findings of this study are of interest to midwives and others who perform ultrasound examinations as it explains why adequate time must be allowed for the examination and the importance of the information given before hand. When introducing new forms of fetal diagnosis in the future it should be kept in mind that this might irrevocably be accepted by parents who long for confirmation of a new life.
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- Ekelin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Developing the PEER-U scale to measure parents' expectations, experiences and reactions to routine ultrasound examinations during pregnancy
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0264-6838 .- 1469-672X. ; 26:3, s. 211-228
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to develop and test a specific questionnaire to measure parents' expectations, experiences and reactions in connection with routine ultrasound examinations during pregnancy. A questionnaire consisting of ultrasound specific questions was constructed in two parts, one to be used before and one after the examination. It was examined for face validity and a pilot study was then conducted with women and their partners (n=156). Explorative factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha were used to test validity and reliability. Factor analysis gave a solution where part one measures seven dimensions of expectations before the ultrasound examination and part two five dimensions of experiences and reactions. The dimensions that measured the parents' state of mind were used to calculate an index. The index was also compared to the results of State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC). The PEER-U questionnaire was tested and showed satisfactory validity and reliability. The ultrasound state of mind index can be used to measure the impact of an ultrasound examination on the parents, before and after this takes place.
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- Ekelin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Midwives' attitudes to and knowledge about a newly introduced foetal screening method.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. - : Wiley. - 1471-6712 .- 0283-9318. ; 18:3, s. 287-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A number of screening procedures are offered by midwives during pregnancy and the number is increasing rapidly. The measurement of nuchal translucency is a fairly new ultrasound method for antenatal screening, primarily for Down syndrome. The results give a better risk calculation than maternal age alone and can mean a decrease in the number of invasive procedures needed to identify this syndrome prenatally. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the midwives' point of view concerning the introduction of the method in two different hospitals. In one hospital it had been introduced as part of a research project while in the other it had been integrated as an offer in the antenatal care programme. A questionnaire was sent to the 80 midwives working in the antenatal clinics serving these two hospitals. A total of 79% of the questionnaires were answered. The results indicate that in both districts, the similarities are greater than the differences with regard to the midwives' education, knowledge and their own opinions of their ability to inform pregnant women about the method. Although most of the respondents were positive to it, a number of midwives felt that, in general, information about foetal diagnosis was a difficult part of their work, mentioning both ethical and practical aspects. This highlights the need for continuing education, standardized policy and an ongoing ethical debate.
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- Ekelin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Not now but later - A qualitative study of non-exercising pregnant women's views and experiences of exercise
- 2018
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Ingår i: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2393. ; 18:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Evidence has shown that there are several physical and mental advantages of exercise during pregnancy. Despite this, the recommendations for exercise during pregnancy are poorly fulfilled. The aim of this study was to illuminate non-exercising pregnant women's views and experiences concerning exercise before and during pregnancy. Method: The study had a qualitative design with an inductive approach and was analysed by content analysis. A total of 16 individual and face-to-face interviews were conducted with healthy pregnant women, mainly in the third trimester and living in Sweden. The participating women had not been exercising 3 months before pregnancy or during pregnancy. Results: The main category "Insurmountable now, but possible in the future" was based on the four categories: "Lost and lack of routines", "Feelings of inadequacy", "Having a different focus" and "Need for support". The women experienced that their lack of routines was a major barrier that prevented them from exercising. Other factors that contributed were, for example, pregnancy-related problems, long working days and prioritizing family life. The women described it as difficult to combine exercise with their focus on the pregnancy and they missed continuous support from the antenatal care provider. The women expressed a need for suggestions concerning exercise during pregnancy and follow-up on previous counselling, especially when pregnancy-related issues arose. Information about easily accessible alternatives or simple home exercises was requested. They felt immobile and were not satisfied with their inactivity and tried to partly compensate with everyday activities. The women identified the postpartum period as an important possibility for becoming more active, for their own sake, but also because they wanted to become role models for their children. Conclusion: Continuous support during pregnancy is needed concerning exercise. Pregnancy is mostly a barrier that prevents exercise for this group of women but, at the same time, may be a motivator and a possibility for better health. As the result showed that these women were highly motivated to a life-style change post-pregnancy, it may be crucial to support previously non-exercising women postpartum.
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- Ekelin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Parental expectations, experiences and reactions, sense of coherence and grade of anxiety related to routine ultrasound examination with normal findings during pregnancy.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Prenatal Diagnosis. - : Wiley. - 1097-0223 .- 0197-3851. ; 29, s. 952-959
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To investigate parents' expectations, experiences and reactions, sense of coherence and anxiety before and after a second-trimester routine ultrasound examination, with normal findings. METHODS: Before and after ultrasound questionnaires including the scales parents' expectations, experiences and reactions to routine ultrasound examination (PEER-U state of mind index), sense of coherence (SOC) and state and trait anxiety inventory (STAI), were sent to a 1-year cohort of women and their partners. Replies received were 2183. RESULTS: Both parents had significantly less worried state of mind (PEER-U) after the examination than before. Women had a lower grade of state anxiety after than before, but for men there was no significant change. Before the ultrasound, women had a higher degree of worried state of mind, as well as a higher grade of state and trait anxiety and a lower sense of coherence, than men. The women showed a greater reduction in worried state of mind than the men after the ultrasound examination. There were no significant differences in sense of coherence before and after ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS: Women and men are affected in their psychological well-being in relation to a routine ultrasound examination, but their sense of coherence remains stable. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 9. |
- Ekelin, Maria
(författare)
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Parents' expectations, experiences and reactions to a routine ultrasound examination during pregnancy
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to describe parents’ expectations, experiences and reactions to a routine ultrasound examination during the second trimester of pregnancy and to develop, test and use a questionnaire. The aim was also to conceptualize the parents’ experiences and ways of handling the situation when the diagnosis was a non-viable fetus. The data for this thesis was collected between 2001 and 2007. The work started qualitatively and inductively with interviews using the Grounded Theory method for data collection and analysis of 22 women’s and 22 men’s expectations experiences and reactions to routine ultrasound examination with normal findings. The results were used during the instrument development of the PEER-U questionnaire. The procedure included a pilot study where 126 parents answered both parts of the questionnaire. Factor analysis and statistical tests for validity and reliability were performed. The PEER-U questionnaire was then used for deductive testing of the results of the qualitative study with a one year cohort in which 2183 parents (1258 women and 925 men) answered both parts of a two-part (before and after ultrasound) questionnaire. The questionnaire included the PEER-U scale with an ultrasound specific state of mind index and the scales state and trait anxiety (STAI) and sense of coherence (SOC) as well as demographics. A follow-up Grounded Theory interview study was performed with 15 parents from the cohort who had been given a diagnosis of a non-viable fetus. The results from the qualitative parts showed that the parents expected to get a confirmation of a normal and apparently healthy child during the ultrasound. For parents with normal results, the ultrasound was experienced as very positive and they started to feel like a family. Afterwards these parents were left with a feeling of relief. Parents who received the diagnosis of a non-viable fetus experienced a collision between hopes and facts. They felt deceived by a false sense of security as the condition was unexpectedly discovered during a routine examination. These parents required clear information and focused on what would happen next. The need for a general and individual care plan was evident as was the need for a follow-up initiated by the care-givers. The development of the PEER-U questionnaire resulted in 30 items to measure parents’ expectations and 23 items to measure their experiences and reactions. Internal consistency, calculated by Cronbach’s coefficient alpha, was 0.77 for the “before ultrasound” part of the PEER-U questionnaire and 0.75 for the “after ultrasound” part. The results from the cohort study showed that both parents’ degree of worried state of mind decreased after the ultrasound but their sense of coherence remained stable. In a gender comparison the women’s state anxiety decreased significantly while the men showed no significant change. Before the examination the women showed a significantly higher degree of worried state of mind in relation to ultrasound than the men while afterwards the situation was reversed. The findings show that parents easily accept fetal diagnosis that gives them a visual evidence of the fetus. This should be remembered when new forms of fetal diagnosis are introduced in the future. Their state of mind in relation to ultrasound can be measured with the ultrasound specific state of mind index. Further research might improve the questionnaire and make it better adapted for use when the parents have experienced adverse findings during a routine ultrasound examination.
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| 10. |
- Ekelin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Parents' experiences, reactions and needs regarding a nonviable fetus diagnosed at a second trimester routine ultrasound.
- 2008
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Ingår i: JOGNN - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. - : Elsevier BV. - 1552-6909 .- 0884-2175. ; 37:4, s. 446-454
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To conceptualize women's and their partners' experiences and ways of handling the situation before, during, and after second trimester ultrasound examination with the diagnosis of a nonviable fetus. Design: A grounded theory study. Setting: A Swedish regional hospital. Participants: Nine women and 6 men (n=15) were interviewed within a year of the event. Results: The core category was Unexpected change in life. Four categories that were encompassed by the core category emerged: (a) Deceived by a false sense of security; (b) Confronting reality; (c) Grieving; and (d) Reorientation. Conclusion: These parents were unprepared for the diagnosis of a nonviable fetus. In addition to the crisis reaction, they realized that the sense of security they had experienced was false. As different care givers were involved, the need for a care plan was evident. Support from care givers was a very important factor.
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