Trust, Vacillation and Neglect - Refugee Women's Experiences Regarding Pregnancy and Birth Giving in Finland

• In Event: 322 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Maternal Health

Abstract

This paper explores how refugee women experience their pregnancy and birth giving in interaction with the Finnish maternity care professionals. We have limited knowledge of these women's pregnancy and birth giving experiences. These women usually arrive from poor circumstances where the maternal health care is not well developed (Malin & Gissler 2009).
This study departs from the salutogenic theory that defines human being as a resourceful agent. The emphasis lies in trust that resources are available if needed and that they are sufficient to take care of their demands.
In this study 11 women who came from Russia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Irak were interviewed with an interpreter. My criteria for selecting informants were that they were 1) refugee women who have been granted residence permit in Finland, 2) who have lived at least two years in Finland, and 3) who currently tak care of their children at home.
Five women considered the received care as good. Four women with dramatic experiences were able to regardless of obstacles develop trust in the care providers. Two women were traumatized by the care providers' inability to recognize their need of care.
The main findings higlight that these refugee women's individual ability to develop trust was essential. The ethnic background of these women could not explain their experiences. This supports the salutogenic theory that emphasizes the importance of individual resources that enables human beings to solve problems and use available resources to develop a sense of wellbeing.

Author

• Annika Linnea Lillrank, University of Helsinki