{"title":"Online Social Support for Medicaid-Eligible Pregnant Women.","authors":"Kathryn M L Konrad","doi":"10.1097/NMC.0000000000001162","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Medicaid-eligible pregnant women are a chronically stressed population with various negative perinatal effects due in part to their challenging financial status. Increasingly, they use social media to obtain social support; however, experiences of using social media for social support are unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of Medicaid-eligible pregnant women using Facebook groups.</p><p><strong>Study design and methods: </strong>Semistructured interviews of pregnant women who used Facebook groups for social support were conducted. Eligibility or insurance coverage by Medicaid was considered as a proxy for low socioeconomic status. Thematic analysis was completed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fourteen pregnant women were interviewed. Several themes were identified. The overarching theme was social support through an online community, connections, and information support with affirmation woven through to build connections. Participants felt nurses, midwives, and physicians should recommend Facebook groups to obtain social support.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>Most participants found their experiences via Facebook overwhelmingly positive, even if they had some negative encounters. Participants found social support via Facebook groups. Recommendations for nurses include recognizing social media as a venue to access social support, starting peer-led communities for Medicaid-eligible women using social media, and engaging in policy work on social media recommendations for pregnant women. It is unknown what effect this social support has on their chronic stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":51121,"journal":{"name":"Mcn-The American Journal of Maternal-Child Nursing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Mcn-The American Journal of Maternal-Child Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/NMC.0000000000001162","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Medicaid-eligible pregnant women are a chronically stressed population with various negative perinatal effects due in part to their challenging financial status. Increasingly, they use social media to obtain social support; however, experiences of using social media for social support are unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of Medicaid-eligible pregnant women using Facebook groups.
Study design and methods: Semistructured interviews of pregnant women who used Facebook groups for social support were conducted. Eligibility or insurance coverage by Medicaid was considered as a proxy for low socioeconomic status. Thematic analysis was completed.
Results: Fourteen pregnant women were interviewed. Several themes were identified. The overarching theme was social support through an online community, connections, and information support with affirmation woven through to build connections. Participants felt nurses, midwives, and physicians should recommend Facebook groups to obtain social support.
Clinical implications: Most participants found their experiences via Facebook overwhelmingly positive, even if they had some negative encounters. Participants found social support via Facebook groups. Recommendations for nurses include recognizing social media as a venue to access social support, starting peer-led communities for Medicaid-eligible women using social media, and engaging in policy work on social media recommendations for pregnant women. It is unknown what effect this social support has on their chronic stress.
期刊介绍:
MCN''s mission is to provide the most timely, relevant information to nurses practicing in perinatal, neonatal, midwifery, and pediatric specialties. MCN is a peer-reviewed journal that meets its mission by publishing clinically relevant practice and research manuscripts aimed at assisting nurses toward evidence-based practice. MCN focuses on today''s major issues and high priority problems in maternal/child nursing, women''s health, and family nursing with extensive coverage of advanced practice healthcare issues relating to infants and young children.
Each issue features peer-reviewed, clinically relevant articles. Coverage includes updates on disease and related care; ideas on health promotion; insights into patient and family behavior; discoveries in physiology and pathophysiology; clinical investigations; and research manuscripts that assist nurses toward evidence-based practices.