title: Social representations of mothers about gestational hypertension and premature birth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the meanings attributed by mothers to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) and their consequences, such as premature birth and hospitalization of the infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative study, based on the Central Nucleus Theory, with 70 women who had hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preterm delivery. We used the technique of free word association (FWAT) with three stimuli: high blood pressure during pregnancy, prematurity and NICU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We obtained 1007 evocations, distributed as follows: high blood pressure during pregnancy (335) prematurity (333) and NICU (339). These constituted three thematic units: representation of HDPs, prematurity and the NICU. The categories death and negative aspects were inherent to the three units analyzed, followed by coping strategies and needs for care present in HDPs and prematurity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study had death as its central nucleus, and highlighted the subjective aspects present in the high risk pregnancy and postpartum cycle. It is hoped that this research will contribute to qualifying nursing care for women confronting the problem of HDPs, so that they can cope with less impacts from the adverse effects of high risk pregnancy and birth.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil. nilbalima@ufrnet.br
authors.forename: Nilba Lima
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Ana Cristina Pinheiro Fernandes
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Araújo
authors.forename: Iris do Ceu Clara
authors.initials: Ido C
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth; D012938:Social Perception