Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2019
Journal / Book Title
Children and Youth Services Review
Abstract
Foster youth become pregnant at 2–3 times the rate of the general U.S. adolescent population. Yet, there is a dearth of literature exploring experiences of pregnancy and birth among such young women. This phenomenological study included 18 in-depth interviews with six mothers aged 19–22 years in or transitioning from foster care. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the specific phenomenological method used in this study, proceeded through six steps: 1. reading and re-reading; 2. initial noting; 3. developing emergent themes; 4. developing superordinate themes; 5. repeating steps 1–4 for each case; and 6. developing a set of final themes. This process yielded three themes characterizing how young women in foster care experience the phenomenon of pregnancy and birth: 1) Personal Pain, Personal Renewal; 2) Unplanned Pregnancies, Intentional Births; and 3) Powerful Bodies, Powerful Families. Findings extend the existing literature on adolescent pregnancy and childbirth, particularly among foster youth; related implications are discussed.
DOI
10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.01.007
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Aparicio, Elizabeth M.; Shpiegel, Svetlana; Grinnell-Davis, Claudette; and King, Bryn, "“My Body is Strong and Amazing”: Embodied Experiences of Pregnancy and Birth among Young Women in Foster Care" (2019). Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 1.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/social-work-and-child-advocacy-facpubs/1
Published Citation
Aparicio, E. M., Shpiegel, S., Grinnell-Davis, C., & King, B. (2019). “My body is strong and amazing”: Embodied experiences of pregnancy and birth among young women in foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 98, 199-205.