Optimising Social Support for the Preservation of Self: Social Support and Women’s Reproductive Decision-Making

Abstract

Although social support is a known determinant of good health outcomes, its specific role in women’s reproductive decision-making has been largely overlooked in Australia. This paper develops an explanatory theory of how women interact with social support for reproductive decision-making. Twenty-three women residing in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, aged 18–45 years who had or were making reproductive decisions were interviewed and constructivist grounded theory methods were used to analyse the data. Expectations of social support, mobilising social support and constructions of social support emerged as the key phases by which women engaged with reproductive support. These phases demonstrated when, why, what and how women accessed reproductive support, while also giving meaning to their support exchanges. Overall, women wanted to be active participants in resolving reproductive decisions affecting them and, largely, desired support to do so. This article extends the understanding of social support as a phenomenon, specifically exploring its role in Australian women’s reproductive decision-making.