1. "Going Beyond the Call of Doula": A Grounded Theory Analysis of the piverse Roles Community-Based Doulas Play in the Lives of Pregnant and Parenting Adolescent Mothers.
- Author
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Gentry, Quinn M., Nolte, Kim M., Gonzalez, Ainka, Pearson, Magan, and Ivey, Symeon
- Subjects
BLACK people ,CONTENT analysis ,DOULAS ,GROUNDED theory ,HISPANIC Americans ,INTERVIEWING ,MATHEMATICAL models ,EVALUATION of medical care ,ABSTRACTING & indexing of medical records ,SCIENTIFIC observation ,PARENTING ,SENSORY perception ,PREGNANCY ,PROBLEM solving ,RESEARCH ,STATISTICAL sampling ,SOCIAL role ,SURVEYS ,TEENAGE pregnancy ,ETHNOLOGY research ,QUALITATIVE research ,THEORY ,JUDGMENT sampling ,GOVERNMENT programs ,SOCIAL support ,SOCIOECONOMIC factors ,COMMUNITY-based social services ,ATTITUDES of mothers - Abstract
This article presents some of the most salient qualitative results from a larger program evaluation of pregnant and parenting adolescents who participated in a community-based doula program. Using grounded theory analysis, seven problem-solving strategies emerged that doulas apply in helping pregnant and parenting adolescents navigate multiple social and health settings that often serve as barriers to positive maternal- and child-health outcomes. The ethnographic findings of this study suggest that i the doulas provide valuable assistance to pregnant and parenting adolescents by addressing social- psychological issues and socio-economic disparities. "Diverse role-taking" results in doulas helping pregnant adolescents navigate more successfully through fragmented social and health service systems that are less supportive of low-income adolescents, who are often perceived to be draining scarce resources. The findings have implications for the roles of community-based doulas assigned to low- income adolescents of color seeking to overcome obstacles and attain better educational and economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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