Resilience of pregnant and postpartum women affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake: A qualitative study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to understand and discuss the support given to pregnant and postpartum women affected by disasters, by investigating the perspectives and resilience (the ability to cope, learn about, and overcome situations after a natural disaster) of women who experienced the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and qualitative analysis was performed using the qualitative method originally developed by Jiro Kawakita (KJ method). Participants were recruited from the affected area 1.5 years after the earthquake. Four pregnant women and three postpartum women who lived in the affected area were interviewed. Using the interview data, transcripts were created, themes were extracted, and themes with similar contents were combined and summarized.

Results: Five themes related to resilience were found: “supporting each other”; “confronting problems and afflictions”; “prioritizing children’s safety and security”; “taking care of any mental and physical health issues during pregnancy by myself”; and “connecting with others and sharing my experiences”. These resiliencies were affected by multiple adversities. Four themes related to adversity were found: “I experienced difficult days”; “I was afraid of large tremors and aftershocks”; “My child/children and I experienced something unusual”; and “I evacuated to a shelter, but it was terrible”. Resilience toward adversity was promoted by interaction and directed toward the future.

Conclusions: This study clarified the structure of resilience experienced by pregnant and postpartum women after a disaster. This knowledge can be used for the assessment and support of affected pregnant and postpartum women.