title: Social support in Mexican American childbearing women.
abstract: Because the Mexican American population in the United States is increasing, nurses will inevitably come into contact with members of this cultural group. Social support is essential for women to adapt to the demands of the perinatal period, and Mexican American childbearing women face particular challenges in obtaining social support. In this article, traditional roles and social support in Mexican American families are described, the challenges of delivering prenatal care within these traditions are discussed, and strategies for nursing intervention are offered.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Loyola University, 6525 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626-5385, USA. lmartin@luc.edu
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martinez-Schallmoser
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: MacMullen
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Telleen
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States