Social networking and help-seeking behaviors in relation to the health of pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women in Japan / 国際保健医療

ABSTRACT

  Introduction  This study aimed to clarify social networking and help seeking behaviors in relation to the health of pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women in Japan, using unanalyzed data collected in the article titled “Socio-cultural factors affecting the health of pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women in Japan” published in this journal.Methods  We conducted semi-structured interviews of pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women aged ≥20 years in their homes in Prefectures A and B during 2013-2014. We used the Japanese version of the interview guide based on the cultural determinants of help seeking developed by Arnault. The analysis was guided by analytic ethnography, and core themes were derived.Results  The interviews were conducted with 18 women. Their mean age was 32.4 years (5 women in their 20s and 13 women in their 30s). The average length of stay was 12.6 years (6 women: <10 years and 12 women: ≥10 years). Regarding residential status, 12 women were permanent residents. Two categories for social networking were derived: (1) limited social interaction and (2) reliance on family and trusted others. Two categories for help-seeking behaviors were derived: (1) reliance on informal resources close to them and (2) self-reliant problem solving.Conclusions  The social networking and help-seeking behaviors of pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women in Japan were related to their way of cultivating relationships in their transnational life as migrant workers. Their behaviors were also related to their perception on the family, their religion, and their self-reliant problem-solving behaviors.