Women's coping with an unplanned pregnancy

Objective (s): Pregnancy is the transition to parenthood. Being mentally prepared is essential for successful psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy. So، an unplanned pregnancy challenges the self-sufficiency and control expected of women. The main focus of this study was to provide a better understanding of women’s coping with an unplanned pregnancy

The data were collected through 23 semi-structured in depth interviews from May to September 2013 in Tabriz and analyzed using descriptive-interpretive approach of content analysis. The participants were 15 women having a recent unplanned pregnancy، interviewed from the 20th week of gestation until 40 days after childbirth. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2007.

Findings fell into four main themes: initial negative reactions، social rejection of abortion، values and religious beliefs and post-continue conflicts indicating negative reactions when facing with an unplanned pregnancy. Although socio-cultural context of Iran helped women to copy with an unplanned pregnancy، post-continue conflicts remained.

Unplanned pregnancy for women begins with initial negative reactions and leads to the post-continue conflicts. These findings highlight the importance of promoting primary prevention of unplanned pregnancy and also designing secondary prevention programs to help positive coping with such pregnancies.