Experiences of alcohol use during pregnancy

A qualitative study of pregnant women at risk of acquiring HIV in Cape Town, South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID21258362
AuthorsAmanda P Miller (0000-0002-2252-6973, San Diego State University, corresponding author), Lara Court (0009-0002-6774-4525, University of Cape Town), Sarah Schoetz (0009-0002-3993-1526, University of California, Los Angeles), Lucia Knight (0000-0001-9938-6887, University of Cape Town), Kearabetswe Moopelo (University of Cape Town), Chwayita Ntwasa (University of Cape Town), Nafisa J Wara (0000-0003-3671-5211, University of California, Los Angeles), Zaynab Essack (0000-0002-8867-3415, Human Sciences Research Council), Steven Shoptaw (0000-0002-3583-0026, University of Cape Town), Landon Myers (0000-0002-8106-7658, University of Cape Town), Landon Myer, Dvora Joseph Davey (0000-0001-6290-9293, University of Cape Town)
Year2024
Volume5
Pages100394
Publication date2024-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSSM - Qualitative Research in Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2667-3215 • E-ISSN: 2667-3215
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100394
OpenAlexW4390849644
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited60

In South Africa, alcohol use during pregnancy is prevalent and associated with increased HIV risk. Developing locally sensitive and contextually appropriate evidence-based interventions to address alcohol use among pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa requires comprehensive understanding of the context of perinatal alcohol use and how relationships and lived environments may serve as barriers or supports for alcohol reduction. We conducted twenty in-depth qualitative interviews with isiXhosa speaking women who reported alcohol use during their recent pregnancy and/or recent intimate partner violence in Cape Town, South Africa between September and November 2022. We describe patterns and drivers of ongoing alcohol use during pregnancy and map them onto levels of the socioecological model. Data were analyzed utilizing the interpretivist paradigm and interpretive thematic analysis. Eight women reported alcohol use during pregnancy, sixteen reported experiencing recent IPV, and four women reported both alcohol use during pregnancy and recent IPV. In interviews, commonly cited reasons for continued alcohol use in pregnancy included stress (e.g., due to financial concerns), peer pressure, the central role of alcohol use in socialization and the persistence of misconceptions regarding the safety of alcohol use in pregnancy. Still, despite women reporting social norms that supported continued alcohol use in pregnancy, many altered who they drank with due to fear of judgement from close friends and family, leaving them isolated from their social support system. Interventions aimed at increasing interpersonal support, such as the use of peer mentors, could prove beneficial. Although the clinic provides messaging around the harms of alcohol use in pregnancy, these messages conflict with messaging received from their peers, limiting their impact on behavior. Locally sensitive tailored, relevant programming that intervenes on barriers to reducing alcohol use in pregnancy at multiple levels of the socioeconomic model are vital to effectively addressing this public health issue

Domestic violence · Environmental health · Facilitator · Geography · Peer pressure · Poison control · Pregnancy · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychosocial · Qualitative research · Suicide prevention · Thematic analysis · Gestational Diabetes Research and Management · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects · Psychology · Social Psychology