Do patients associate adverse pregnancy outcomes with folkloric beliefs?
Many "old wives' tales" suggest that women can contribute to adverse outcomes through their behaviors and thoughts. Women attending a Midwestern American clinic were surveyed to determine how common such beliefs are. Two hundred women rated their agreement with a set of nine such beliefs. Women with a personal history of an adverse event had beliefs similar to those without such a history. The data suggest that such beliefs do not influence a woman's experience of pregnancy loss or birth defect.
Schaffir
J
J
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. schaffir.1@osu.edu
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000208:ethnology*; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D005495:Folklore; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000208:ethnology*; D012931:Social Environment; D012945:Social Values; D018454:Spouses / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires