[Barriers to Addressing Pregnant Patients' Cigarette and Alcohol Use: A Focus Group Study with Gynecologists]

Researching Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy. Opportunities and Challenges With Two Methods of Data Acquisition

Qualitative research methods, primarily interviews, have become more common in the field of addiction research. Other data sources were often neglected, although sources such as social media can offer insights into the realities of people, since social media also plays a relevant role in today's living environments. This article examines the use of online forums as an underutilized data source in contrast to telephone interviews, to identify methodological opportunities and challenges. We analyzed nine discussion threads and seven interviews about 'alcohol consumption during pregnancy'. Discursive comparison of the results was performed with a focus on sampling issues, comparability and risks for participants and researchers. Key issues were present in both data sources. People with different opinions were openly hostile in forums, while tolerance was more often expressed in interviews. The interviews showed a rather mild communication style, which could be attributed to social desirability. In the forum discussions, the participants often expressed themselves very directly. To comprehensively grasp the subject matter of the research, it is important to recognize the types of communication promoted by different data sources. These results have implications for research about female substance use. Knowledge of the issues will bestow a valuable contribution to researchers working in the field of substance use to help develop appropriate research approaches, as they engage in research into this highly stigmatized and controversial area.

Consequences and Possible Predictors of Health-damaging Behaviors and Mental Health Problems in Pregnancy - A Review

In recent decades, the understanding of the short and longer term effects of health-damaging behaviors and mental health problems in pregnant women and the underlying mechanisms of these behaviors and illnesses has significantly increased. In contrast, little is known about the factors affecting individual pregnant women which contribute to health-damaging behaviors and mental illness. The aim of this paper was therefore to summarize the current state of research into the consequences of nicotine and alcohol consumption, malnutrition, excessive weight gain or obesity, and impaired mental health (depression and anxiety) during pregnancy. In addition, the characteristics of pregnant women which increase their risk of developing such behaviors or mental disorders are described. A better knowledge of these risks should make it easier for clinicians to identify cases at risk early on and put measures of support in place. A review of the literature has shown that certain characteristics of pregnant women (e.g. her relationship with her partner, a previous history of mental illness prior to pregnancy) are associated with various health-damaging behaviors as well as with impaired mental health. Affected women often show an accumulated psychosocial stress which was already present prior to the pregnancy and which may persist even after the birth of the child.