Author(s)

Yu-Chan Li¹, Yieh Loong Tsai², Pei-Jung Lan¹

¹Department of Thanatology and Health Counseling, College of Human Development and Health, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei city.
²Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei city.

Introduction: As far as adult and married women were concerned, when they occurred to “unplanned pregnancy”, they felt so surprised and concussive all the time. Besides, the unplanned pregnancy also affects the other members in the family system. Therefore, when married women have to face the choice: “birth” or “abortion”, they’ll consider lots of thoughts and different decision criteria and decision pattern under various influences on physician, mind, mental and society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the criteria considered and the decision patterns involved when adult married women decide whether to terminate or continue an unplanned pregnancy. Methods: The study uses the method—“Ethnographic Decision Tree Modeling” [1] to build model of the decision criteria and decision patterns involved when adult married women make a decision about their unplanned pregnancy. There are three process in the research method: “Pilot Study”—interview two groups, every group distinct 4 married adult women with unplanned pregnancies, which decide whether to terminate or continue an unplanned pregnancy, what is the items of decision characters affect to the choice: “birth” or “abortion”. “Building of the Model”, displays the importance in proper order of those items and build the modeling with these two groups of women. “Testing of the Model”: investigate the criteria considered and the decision patterns involved when adult married women decide whether to terminate or continue an unplanned pregnancy. The study interviewed 34 married adult women with 43 unplanned pregnancies totally. Results: The result of the study finds out 12 items of decision characters, including planning to get pregnant or not, stability of feelings for married partner, the points of view on life, was affected by mother, mother-in-law, an husband’s emphasis on male, the meanings of children, the financial burden, the plan an assignment of career and time, the past pregnant experiences, the status of raising children, the health of parents and fetus, the effect of living environment, and social and cultural vision. Besides, there are four decision patterns of married adult women with unplanned pregnancy are “receiving abortion positively”; “giving birth as long as getting pregnancy naturally”; “ the minds are hesitative and changeable”, and “being forced by important others.” Conclusion: By setting the decision model tree, we found several decision criteria and patterns, and possible modes actions to be taken, could offer to see the adult married women’s decision-making and struggles in mind about unplanned pregnancy.

Ethnographic Decision Tree Modeling, Adult and Married Women, Unplanned Pregnancy, Decision Pattern

Li, Y. , Tsai, Y. and Lan, P. (2017) Ethnographic Decision Tree Modeling of the Decision Criteria and Decision Patterns for Adult Married Women with Unexpected Pregnancies. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7, 1052-1063. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2017.710106.