Abstract
Objective:to understand the influence of the religious beliefs on the decision of a group of women residing in the Huila Department to continue their pregnancies despite perinatal infection by the Zika virus.Method:a focused ethnography. The participants were 21 women who had presented a perinatal infection by the Zika virus and whose babies were born with congenital microcephaly. 2 discussion groups and 6 semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was used for data treatment.Results:three themes emerged, namely: “God, why me?” is the initial questioning of the women to God for the prenatal diagnosis of microcephaly in their babies, “Clinging to a divine miracle” describes how the women did not lose their faith and begged for a divine miracle for their babies to be born healthy, and “It was God’s will” means acceptance, resignation, and respect for God’s will, as well as the denial to abort despite the medical recommendations.Conclusion:religiosity and religious beliefs were determinant factors in the women’s decision to continue their pregnancies. It becomes necessary to continue investigating this theme to understand their experiences and to generate follow-up and support actions from nursing care.
Highlights
In October 2015, Colombia declared an outbreak of the Zika virus disease, and the Huila Department presented the third highest accrued incidence of the country (517 per 100,000 inhabitants) and in pregnant women (333 per 100,000 inhabitants)(1)
Multiple losses and profound feelings of worry are generated in the parents, and those who decide to continue their pregnancies experimented the loss of a healthy child and its anticipated future, and that of a happy pregnancy[6]
This study shows that religiosity and religious beliefs were determinant factors in the participants’ decision to continue their pregnancies when faced with a congenital malformation like microcephaly related to infection by the Zika virus during pregnancy
Summary
In October 2015, Colombia declared an outbreak of the Zika virus disease, and the Huila Department presented the third highest accrued incidence of the country (517 per 100,000 inhabitants) and in pregnant women (333 per 100,000 inhabitants)(1). By January 2018, 248 cases of congenital syndrome related to perinatal infection by the Zika virus have been confirmed in the country[2]. Perinatal infection by the Zika virus has been related to adverse pregnancy results, especially microcephaly and other severe brain anomalies like intellectual disability, ophthalmologic and auditory alterations and epilepsy[3,4]. In the case of a pregnancy with a diagnosis of congenital malformation due to perinatal infection by the Zika virus, the parents’ future becomes uncertain; with material evidence of primary reactions of anguish, guilt, indecision and shame; to experience a negotiation, acceptance, and adaptation reaction to the new condition[7]
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