A Qualitative Study of Women's Well-being and Negative Social Support Experiences from Healthcare Providers during Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Child-rearing

Introduction: Previous quantitative studies have indicated that negative social support from healthcare providers is associated with poor mental health, declined capacity to receive support, and undesirable behaviors among mothers of infants/young children in Japan. The aim of this study is to explore these women’s negative social support experiences and their well-being based on qualitative data.

Goals and Methods: Four internet surveys of mothers with young children in 47 prefectures across Japan were conducted between 2020 and 2024 through an Internet research company. Based on the open-ended descriptions from the first through the fourth rounds of the survey, the women’s experiences of negative social support from healthcare providers were extracted. Such experiences were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and how these relate to mothers’ well-being was considered.

Results: The mothers’ experiences of negative social support from healthcare providers included the following: “Blaming women with less knowledge and experience,” “Not having empathy for pain,” “Highlighting risks,” “Not providing appropriate responses to consultations,” “Not considering women’s medical history,” “Giving advice based on preconceptions,” “Interpreting women’s wishes as naivety,” “Denying the women’s choice,” “Not giving priority to the women’s wishes,” “Not providing personalized support,” “Providing conflicting advice from different healthcare providers,” “Not being able to imagine the shock others suffer.” Many of the women who had such experiences described “Having anxiety” and “Not having self-confidence as a mother.”

Conclusions: The open-ended descriptions from the four surveys detailed the women’s negative social support experiences from healthcare providers during pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. Since these experiences may have an undesirable impact on mothers’ well-being, it will be necessary to bridge the gap in knowledge and common sense between professionals and women. 

This study was supported by JSPS, KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H02612, JP22H03429 and 23K24687.