2024 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 36-47
Purpose
This study aimed to determine the psychology of pregnant women in a crisis that resulted in emergency admission to the maternal fetal intensive care unit (MFICU) under restricted family visitation owing to the spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods
This qualitative descriptive study included four pregnant women who were hospitalized within one month of being transferred to a general obstetric ward from the MFICU under restricted family visitation. Data were collected through semi-constructive interviews.
Results
The psychology of pregnant women was analyzed per Aguilera's problem-solving crisis model and can be summarized into eight categories. Pregnant women felt happy to be pregnant despite the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they were in a state of imbalance and feeling seriously ill due to emergency MFICU admission, which they associated with ICU. Furthermore, they felt an urgent need to restore their equilibrium by meeting their families and share their child's growth. However, they gradually came to a realistic perception that hospitalization was necessary to protect children. Further, they maintained the same family relationships they had before their hospitalization even under visitation restrictions. In addition, these women reported that nonfamily interactions were encouraging during their hospitalization. Moreover, they had an appropriate coping mechanism to reconcile their desire to visit their families. Hence, they reached a state of equilibrium recovery in which they flexibly adapted to the special care environment.
Conclusion
Pregnant women who were urgently admitted to the MFICU under restricted family visitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic always desired to share their child's growth with their families. However, they gradually responded positively to the fact that hospitalization was necessary to protect their children. Moreover, the pregnant women used information and communication technology to promptly share the progress of their pregnancies and growth of their children with their families. Finally, they came to terms with their feelings and flexibly adapted to the special medical care environment during their hospitalization.
