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Pregnant Families' Discussions on the Net—From Virtual Connections Toward Real‐Life Community
Author(s) -
Kouri Pirkko,
Turunen Hannele,
Tossavainen Kerttu,
Saarikoski Seppo
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1016/j.jmwh.2005.10.010
Subject(s) - safer , everyday life , the internet , family life , service (business) , psychology , nursing , medicine , computer science , sociology , world wide web , gender studies , business , political science , computer security , law , marketing
The aim of this research was to analyze conversations between expectant families (N = 21) in Net Clinic, an Internet‐based service designed for patients using public maternity care. The online conversations, shared opinions about experiences of pregnancy, and family life constituted the data for content analysis. The families developed a sense of virtual community, which gradually evolved into a real‐life community, by discovering the similarity of their life situations and by giving parent‐to‐parent support for everyday life events. As a view of daily family life, Net Clinic offers maternity care professionals a deeper understanding of how to enhance safer pregnancy, birth, and growth of the family.