Need For Women Research Articles

Same-sex partner bereavement in older women: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

ABSTRACTObjectives: Due to the lack of existing literature, the current research explored experiences of same-sex partner bereavement in women over the age of 60.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight women. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: Three themes were identified which elaborated the experiences of older women who had lost a same-sex partner: (1) being left alone encapsulated feelings of isolation and exclusion; (2) navigating visibility centred on how homophobia led to a lack of recognition of the women's grief; and (3) finding new places to be authentic related women's need for new relationships in which they could be themselves. The findings indicate that existing models of partner bereavement may provide useful frameworks when seeking to understand the experiences of older women who have lost their same-sex partners.Conclusion: The findings indicate that in addition to the experiences of partner bereavement noted in research with heterosexual widows, older women who lose same-sex partners may face particular challenges, which can impact upon psychological well-being and adjustment to loss. These challenges appear to result from past and current homophobic and heterosexist attitudes within the UK culture. A range of interventions at individual, group, health service, and societal levels may be beneficial in improving the psychological well-being of older women who lose a same-sex partner.

Do Obese Women Need Higher Dosages of Misoprostol for Labor Induction? [6A

INTRODUCTION: To determine the association between maternal BMI and time to delivery in women receiving misoprostol for labor induction (IOL). METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of women undergoing IOL with intravaginal misoprostol from 1/2013–2/2015. Women admitted for IOL with singleton, term, cephalic gestations were identified through a database. Maternal demographics, obstetrical variables, and admission BMIs were collected. Time to delivery (vaginal and cesarean) from the initial misoprostol dose was primary outcome. Groups were made based on maternal BMI and misoprostol dose (25 mcg vs 50 mcg). Time to delivery was compared among BMI categories stratified for misoprostol dose using two-sample t test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and exact chi-square test. A P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Kaplan Meyer survival and time to event curves were created. RESULTS: 483 patients were included. Mean gestational age was 39.2±1.6 wks, median parity was 0 (range 0–1), and maternal age was 30.5±6.1. Misoprostol 25 mcg was most commonly used (n=290, 60%). Vaginal delivery was achieved in 79% (n=382). More than 90% (n=435) of the women had BMIs greater than 30. Time to delivery was significantly longer with BMIs greater than 30 when misoprostol 25 mcg was used compared with 50 mcg. For BMIs greater than or equal to 40, time to delivery was six hours longer regardless of dose. CONCLUSION: There is an association between maternal BMI and initial misoprostol dosage on time to delivery. Admission BMI should be taken into consideration when dosing misoprostol for IOL.

Experience of Norwegian Female BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation-Carrying Participants in Educational Support Groups: a Qualitative Study.

Women identified as BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers are advised to manage their cancer risk through intensive screening programs and/or by undergoing risk-reducing surgery. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of female BRCA1/2 mutation carriers living with cancer risk and their experiences with participation in educational support groups (ESG). This qualitative study enrolled 17 (10+7) ESG participants in two different ESGs. The focus group interviews were performed immediately prior to and following two ESGs. The data were analyzed using John Knodel's (1993) practical approach. Three main themes were identified; the women's expectation and experience with ESG, the feeling of loneliness and isolation, and the feelings of living with "something else." In this paper we have focused on one of the main themes- the women's expectation and experience with ESG. This main theme presents four subthemes: the women's need for unambiguous, clear and unified information from health professionals, the need for social support, the important role of the patient representative, and increased knowledge potentially raising concern. Participation in an ESG for women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations can provide relevant information and support in the decision-making process related to risk-reducing surgery.

Effects of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake on Women's Reproductive Health.

This article explores the effects of the 2010 Haiti earthquake on women's reproductive health, using geocoded data from the 2005 and 2012 Haiti Demographic and Health Surveys. We use geographic variation in the destructiveness of the earthquake to conduct a difference-in-difference analysis. Results indicate that heightened earthquake intensity reduced use of injectables-the most widely used modern contraceptive method in Haiti-and increased current pregnancy and current unwanted pregnancy. Analysis of impact pathways suggests that severe earthquake intensity significantly increased women's unmet need for family planning and reduced their access to condoms. The earthquake also affected other factors that influence reproductive health, including women's ability to negotiate condom use in their partnerships. Our findings highlight how disruptions to health care services following a natural disaster can have negative consequences for women's reproductive health.

Abstract P1-11-02: Psychological morbidity in breast cancer survivors: Prevalence rates and determinants

Abstract Background: The number of breast cancer survivors (BCS) is steadily increasing due to improved treatment options, early detection and younger age at diagnosis. Thus, it is increasingly important to determine and better understand the psychological outcome following a cancer diagnosis and treatment in long-term. This might contribute to meeting the long-term health care demands of cancer survivors. We aimed at investigating levels and determinants of anxiety and depression (AD) in BCS. Patients and Methods: We included BCS with a non-metastatic disease in the stage of after-care. AD was determined as part of a cross-sectional, comprehensive patient reported outcome (PRO) assessment (incl. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-G/+B/+ES, Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, Sexual Activity Questionnaire and Body Image Scale) using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Prevalence rates of AD and sample characteristics are presented descriptively using percentages, means and standard deviations. Predictors of anxiety and depression are identified by means of regression analysis. Results: A final sample of 743 breast cancer survivors who were on average 2.9 years post diagnosis (range: 0.1-11.3 years) participated in the study. Mean patient age was 56.4a (SD 11.5a), 2/3 of patients were postmenopausal. 22.5% of patients reported clinically relevant levels of anxiety and 11.2% of depression. Older age (β=0.012, t=2.53, p<0.05), higher endocrine symptoms (β=-0.037, t=-8.89, p<0.01) and reduced functional well-being (β=-0.034, t=-7.73, p<0.01) were predictive for anxiety and depression in the regression model. The model explained 39.3% of the variance of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: A distinct proportion of BCS report clinically relevant, long-term psychological morbidity. Especially older BCS, experiencing higher levels of endocrine symptoms and reduced functional well-being, seem to be at risk for psychological morbidity. A routine PRO-screening for psychological morbidity including the assessment of associated risk factors in this patient population might contribute to the identification of those women in need for psychological/ psychiatric treatment and in conjunction, improve cancer care. Citation Format: Hubalek M, Sztankay M, Oberguggenberger A, Meraner V, Egle D, Mangweth-Matzek B, Beer B, Huber N, Sperner-Unterweger B. Psychological morbidity in breast cancer survivors: Prevalence rates and determinants. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-11-02.

Contraception in Japan: Current trends

ObjectivesHigh proportion of Japanese uses condoms; lower proportion uses oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). We examined the longitudinal patterns for contraceptive usage in Japan and evaluated differences before and after OCP government approval. Study designWe accessed nationally representative survey data for women aged 16–49years from 1950 to 2014. ResultsUsage of condoms and OCP was 83.4% and 3.0%, respectively in 2014. OCP use before (1.21%) and after (1.97%) government approval did not differ significantly (p=.58). ConclusionsThe prevalence of OCP usage remains low in Japan. A wide gap in use between Japan and other developed countries exists. ImplicationsThrough a wide gap in OCP use between Japan and other countries, we revealed how choices of contraceptive methods and their benefits could be openly available for women of reproductive age, and how health care professionals disseminate appropriate knowledge about contraception for women in need.

Sociodemographic and clinical factors affecting body image, sexual function and sexual satisfaction in women with breast cancer

To evaluate the effect of sociodemographic and clinical factors on body image, sexual function and sexual satisfaction in women following breast cancer treatment. Women with breast cancer may experience a wide range of symptoms associated with body image and sexuality that can severely affect their quality of life. Therefore, the health care professional's ability to understand the patient's complaints and her sexual history is highly relevant in specialised multidisciplinary care. A cross-sectional survey. Seventy-seven participants were included. Body image, sexual function and sexual satisfaction were evaluated using the EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaire. Results were shown as means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. Cronbach's alpha was calculated. Spearman's correlation test,the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used in the statistical analysis, conducted using the spss statistical software package, version 17.0. Low scores were found in the desire (34·63), frequency (32·03) and sexual satisfaction (45·91) domains, while body image scores were higher (63·57). No strong correlation was found between body image and any of the other domains. Patients without a steady partner experienced more sexual desire (p<0·04) and more frequent sexual activity (p<0·01). Sexual activity was also more frequent (p<0·03) in women with a higher education level and in those using aromatase inhibitors. Sexual function and satisfaction were affected to a greater extent than body image. No association was found between body image and sexual performance. The effect of marital status and education level on sexual function merits particular attention. A well-trained multidisciplinary team should be available to evaluate women's need for support and to provide information on the disease, its treatment and its impact on their lives and on their sexuality.

Fertility Desire and Reproductive Health Education Needs of Women Living with HIV Receiving Care at Regional Hospital Limbe HIV Treatment Centre

Fertility Desire and Reproductive Health Education Needs of Women Living with HIV Receiving Care at Regional Hospital Limbe HIV Treatment Centre

Unmet Needs of Women Diagnosed with Gynecologic Cancer: An Overview of Literature

The assessment of supportive care and unmet needs is essential in the development of appropriate interventions that may enhance the quality of life of cancer patients. Unmet needs including early diagnosis and treatment process, psychosocial problems alternative approach, fertility, supporting of caregivers and palliative care are common problems in women with gynecologic cancer (GC). It’s direct effects on quality of life and evaluations may help improve discussion of quality-of-life issues between patient and health professionals. Studies highlight, as social support and supportive care by the family or health professionals increased, the effective coping ways were detected to be used more frequently. This review describes the unmet supportive care needs of women with GC.

Pregnant women's thoughts when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale.

Fear of childbirth is common during pregnancy but rarely assessed in clinical practice. The Fear of Birth Scale has been proposed as a valid measure suitable for assessing fear of birth in an antenatal clinical context. To make sure that the scale makes sense in relation to the known constructs of fear of birth, it is important to find out what women think when responding to the Fear of Birth Scale. To report what women in mid-pregnancy think when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale. A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with a think aloud technique was used. Thirty-one women were recruited in gestational week 17-20. Content analysis was conducted to describe the different dimensions of fear of birth. Worry was described as unspecific feelings and thoughts, often with a negative loading. Fear was described as a strong feeling connected to something specific. Furthermore, the women thought about aspects that influence their worries and fears and explained the strategies that helped them to cope with their fear of birth. Women could clearly assess, describe, and discuss fear of birth using the Fear of Birth Scale. This supports the use of the Fear of Birth Scale in clinical settings as a starting point for further dialogue about women's fear of birth. The dialogue may identify women's need for information, treatment, and referral when necessary.

Do Muslim Women Need Saving? Making (Non)sense of FEMEN's Ethico-Aesthetics in the Arab World

The body without organs is an egg: It is crisscrossed with axes and thresholds, with latitudes and longitudes and geodesic lines, traversed by gradients marking the transitions and the becomings, t...

Development of an Interview Guide Identifying the Rehabilitation Needs of Women from the Middle East Living with Chronic Pain.

The purpose of this study was to develop an interview guide for use by primary healthcare professionals to support them in identifying the rehabilitation needs of forced resettled women from the Middle East living with chronic pain. Previous findings together with the existing literature were used as the basis for developing the interview guide in three steps: item generation, cognitive interviews, and a pilot study. The study resulted in a 16-item interview guide focusing on patients’ concerns and expectations, with consideration of pre-migration, migration, and post-migration factors that might affect their health. With the help of the guide, patients were also invited to identify difficulties in their daily activities and to take part in setting goals and planning their rehabilitation. The current interview guide provides professional guidance to caretakers, taking a person-centered participative point of departure when meeting and planning care, for and together, with representatives from dispersed ethnic populations in Sweden. It can be used together with the patient by all staff members working in primary healthcare, with the aim of contributing to continuity of care and multi-professional collaboration.

How do women manage the spoiled identity of a ‘pregnant smoker’? An analysis of discursive silencing in women's accounts

Drawing on public and private accounts of smoking during pregnancy (interviews, survey responses, and a public media article), we examine how women discursively manage the ‘spoiled’ identity associated with inhabiting the body of a ‘pregnant smoker’. We focus on two salient identities ‘the silenced smoker’ and ‘the bad mother’ and explore the discursive and material consequences of these identities. We found that references to smoker and maternal identities were largely absent in women's accounts, and discuss how these absences enabled women to evade stigma and the rhetorical harm of these identities. Further, we discuss the material consequences of stigma including women's need to conceal their ‘pregnant smoker’ body in the face of heightened surveillance. We propose ‘discursive silencing’ to explain how dominant motherhood and anti-smoking discourses serve to render women's experiences as ‘untellable’ and therefore reduce women's capacity to seek help or support to quit smoking.

Contraceptive service needs of women with young children presenting for pediatric care

ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study is to characterize the need for contraceptive services and contraceptive method use among women with young children presenting to child health clinics. A secondary objective is to characterize the factors, including access to care and health needs, that exist in this population and to evaluate their association with contraceptive method use. Study designThis is a cross-sectional study of women with children under age 36months presenting to four child health practices in the Baltimore, Maryland, area. Participating women completed a survey to assess desire for pregnancy, contraceptive method use and related characteristics. ResultsA total of 238 participants (82%) were in need of contraceptive services (fertile and not desiring pregnancy). Overall, 59 (25%) of women in need were not using a contraceptive method (unmet need) and 79 (33%) were using a highly effective method (implant or intrauterine device). Factors associated with lower odds of unmet need for contraceptive services included attendance at a routine postpartum visit and visiting a healthcare provider to discuss contraception after pregnancy. Approximately half of index pregnancies were unintended and this was the only health factor associated with greater odds of using of a highly effective contraceptive method. ConclusionsMost women presenting with young children for pediatric care indicated that they were not currently trying to become pregnant and reported current methods of pregnancy prevention that ranged from none to highly effective. Women who had not sought postpregnancy contraceptive care were more likely to have unmet need for contraceptive services. ImplicationsChild health clinics may be a novel site for providing contraceptive care to women with children as part of a strategy to reduce unplanned pregnancies.

Meeting Incarcerated Women's Needs For Pregnancy-Related and Postpartum Services: Challenges and Opportunities.

Meeting Incarcerated Women's Needs For Pregnancy-Related and Postpartum Services: Challenges and Opportunities.

Reasons for women's non-participation in follow-up screening after gestational diabetes.

Due to the increased risk of type 2 diabetes, follow-up screening after birth is recommended to women with previous gestational diabetes. Low participation in such screening has been shown to delay detection of diabetes with potentially serious consequences for the women's future health. The women's experiences of treatment and care during their pregnancies may affect participation. This study aimed at understanding the women's experiences with treatment and care during pregnancy and to understand how these experiences influence participation in follow-up screening. A qualitative study was undertaken drawing on a phenomenological methodology. Seven women treated for gestational diabetes at a university hospital in the North Denmark Region participated in interviews. The women experienced lack of continuity in care between hospital departments and health sectors. We identified the following causes for low participation in follow-up screening: poor coordination, little elaboration of information, a lack of clear coordination of responsibility for follow-up screening among health care professionals and absence of focus and inclusion of their individual needs and preferences. The women wished to be reminded of screening to increase their sense of safety. The women's experiences seem to reflect a lack of patient-centeredness during the pregnancy, which may be remedied by increasing the focus on the women's need for improved continuity in treatment and care. Participation in follow-up screening after gestational diabetes may be increased by sending reminders to the women. Raised awareness of the women's individual needs and preferences for treatment and care offers potential for improvement.

Impact of disaster on women in Iran and implication for emergency nurses volunteering to provide urgent humanitarian aid relief: A qualitative study.

Men and women are equally affected by disasters, but they experience disaster in different ways. To provide new knowledge and promote women's involvement in all phases of the disaster management, we decided to capture the perspectives and experiences of the women themselves; and to explore the conditions affecting Iranian women after recent earthquake disasters. The study was designed as a qualitative content analysis. Twenty individuals were selected by purposeful sampling and data collected by in-depth, semi-structured interviews analysed qualitatively. Three main themes were evident reflecting women's status after disaster: individual impacts of disaster, women and family, and women in the community. Participants experienced the emotional impact of loss, disorganisation of livelihood and challenges due to physical injuries. Women experienced changes in family function due to separation and conflicts which created challenges and needed to be managed after the disaster. Their most urgent request was to be settled in their own permanent home. This motivated the women to help reconstruction efforts. Clarification of women's need after a disaster can help to mainstream gender-sensitive approaches in planning response and recovery efforts.

Selective Review of Age-Related Needs of Women with Schizophrenia

Recognizing that needs differ between men and women with schizophrenia and that they vary over time, this review attempts to categorize the needs that are relevant to younger and to older women. This is a selective literature review focusing on topic areas the two authors determined to be most germane to women with schizophrenia. Articles were selected on the basis of currency, comprehensiveness, and study design. Particular attention was paid to the voices of the women themselves. There is considerable overlap between the needs of younger and older women with schizophrenia, but as a general rule, younger women require preventive strategies to stop the escalation of illness while older women require recovery interventions to regain lost hopes and abilities. There is clinical utility in cataloguing the needs of younger and older women with schizophrenia and conceptualizing interventions according to gender and age rather than viewing needed services along purely diagnostic lines.

Do Muslim Women Need Saving? by Lila Abu-Lughod

<i>Do Muslim Women Need Saving?</i> by Lila Abu-Lughod

Primiparous women's preferences for care during a prolonged latent phase of labour

ObjectiveTo investigate primiparous women's preferences for care during a prolonged latent phase of labour. MethodsA qualitative study based on focus groups and individual interviews and analysed with inductive content analysis. ResultsSixteen primiparous women with a prolonged latent phase of labour >18 hours were interviewed in five focus groups (n = 11) or individually (n = 5). One main category emerged “Beyond normality – a need of individual adapted guidance in order to understand and manage an extended latent phase of labour” which covers the women's preferences during the prolonged latent phase. Five categories were generated from the data: “A welcoming manner and not being rejected”, “Individually adapted care”, “Important information which prepares for reality and coping”, “Participation and need for feedback” and “Staying nearby the labour ward or being admitted for midwifery support”. Women with a prolonged latent phase of labour sought to use their own resources, but their needs for professional support increased as time passed. A welcoming attitude from an available midwife during the latent phase created a feeling of security, and personally adapted care was perceived positively. ConclusionsWomen with a prolonged latent phase of labour preferred woman-centred care. Midwives play an important role in supporting these women. Women's need for midwifery-support increases as the time spent in latent phase increases.