I found an article from BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, a peer-reviewed journal that has articles about different studies related to pregnancy and childbirth. The article is called “Exploration of Perceptions and Decision-Making Processes Related to Childbirth in Rural Sierra Leone” and it is by Laura Treacy and Mette Sagbakken. The article explains a study that was done in rural Sierra Leone to understand how women decide how to give birth. The topic of the article is childbirth decisions in rural areas, and the research question is asking how women and their communities in rural Sierra Leone make decisions about childbirth. The article is primary literature. 

The type of data needed for this study is deep opinions and attitudes. The data was collected from focus groups and interviews. The researchers maintained diaries while in the field that recorded observed data in order to help formulate interview questions and later find social patterns. All of the data was analyzed in tables to compare different views.

The study concluded that the women of Sierra Leone have very complicated ways of making decisions about childbirth, and that they are all quite different. The study also concluded that women make their decisions with their community as opposed to on their own, which I found very fascinating.

The study is very helpful for my own research. Since it is so similar to my research proposal it was helpful to read something that could potentially guide my research design. I appreciate that all of the possible ethical conflicts and concerns were disclosed at the end of the study, because working with focus groups and interviews can definitely bring up ethical issues. I also appreciate that this study was done in a small, rural area because it shed light on a place that many people probably do not know much about. I like learning more about how women make these decisions in different parts of the world.

Citation:

Treacy, Laura and Mette Sagbakken. 2015. “Exploration of Perceptions and Decision-Making Processes Related to Childbirth in Rural Sierra Leone.” BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth15(87).