title: The effect of faith or spirituality in pregnancy: a content analysis.
abstract: This study used a qualitative descriptive research design to discover the relevance and meaning of spirituality in the lives of 130 urban low-income pregnant women by asking the open-ended question, "How does your faith or spirituality affect your pregnancy if at all?" Forty-seven percent of the women in this study described how spirituality affected their pregnancy positively, 45% described that spirituality did not affect them, and 5.4% were unsure. A content analysis of those who answered positively revealed six themes from the data describing the meaning of faith or spirituality in pregnancy: (a) guidance and support; (b) protection, blessing, or reward; (c) communication with God; (d) strength and confidence; (e) help with difficult moral choices; and (f) a generalized positive effect. These findings point to the importance of attending to spirituality as a resource in pregnancy for those who value it and further exploring the meaning of spirituality in pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: East Carolina University School of Nursing, USA.
authors.forename: D Elizabeth
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Jesse
authors.forename: Chantel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schoneboom
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanchard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health