IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v363y2024ics0277953624009511.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“Don't push!” experiences of obstetric violence in U.S. hospital settings

Author

Listed:
  • Church, Anna Claire

Abstract

Obstetric violence is the institutional and interpersonal violation of women's rights during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Amid increasing recognition of the prevalence and consequences of obstetric violence, there has been growing attention to its cultural, organizational, and institutional features. In this article, I demonstrate how obstetric violence is a form of epistemic and structural violence that unfolds through interpersonal interactions, the organization of labor in medicalized birth, and institutional features of the hospital and obstetric environment. I draw on thirty in-depth interviews with women who recently gave birth in the Midwest, United States to understand how the authoritative knowledge of medical staff epistemically marginalizes pregnant and birthing women's embodied knowledge and how organizational and institutional features of the medicalized hospital environment facilitate obstetric violence. These findings contribute to our understanding of how less recognized and normalized forms of violence shape women's pregnancy and birthing experience, even for those with a high degree of intersectional privilege. I argue for increased person-centered childbirth guidelines that center embodied experiences and address features of the medicalized obstetric care environment that are not sufficiently evidence-based nor facilitate better outcomes for birthing people.

Suggested Citation

  • Church, Anna Claire, 2024. "“Don't push!” experiences of obstetric violence in U.S. hospital settings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:363:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624009511
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117497
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624009511
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117497?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bassett, Ken L. & Iyer, Nitya & Kazanjian, Arminee, 2000. "Defensive medicine during hospital obstetrical care: a by-product of the technological age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 523-537, August.
    2. Malat, Jennifer & Mayorga-Gallo, Sarah & Williams, David R., 2018. "The effects of whiteness on the health of whites in the USA," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 148-156.
    3. Meghan A Bohren & Joshua P Vogel & Erin C Hunter & Olha Lutsiv & Suprita K Makh & João Paulo Souza & Carolina Aguiar & Fernando Saraiva Coneglian & Alex Luíz Araújo Diniz & Özge Tunçalp & Dena Javadi , 2015. "The Mistreatment of Women during Childbirth in Health Facilities Globally: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(6), pages 1-32, June.
    4. OjiNjideka Hemphill, Nefertiti & Crooks, Natasha & Zhang, Wenqiong & Fitter, Fareeha & Erbe, Katherine & Rutherford, Julienne N. & Liese, Kylea L. & Pearson, Pamela & Stewart, Karie & Kessee, Nicollet, 2023. "Obstetric experiences of young black mothers: An intersectional perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    5. O'Brien, Cheryl & Newport, Morgan, 2023. "Prioritizing women's choices, consent, and bodily autonomy: From a continuum of violence to women-centric reproductive care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    6. Fielding-Singh, Priya & Dmowska, Amelia, 2022. "Obstetric gaslighting and the denial of mothers’ realities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Narayani Paudel Ghimire & Sunil Kumar Joshi & Pranab Dahal & Katarina Swahnberg, 2021. "Women’s Experience of Disrespect and Abuse during Institutional Delivery in Biratnagar, Nepal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-10, September.
    2. Katarina Swahnberg & Anke Zbikowski & Kumudu Wijewardene & Agneta Josephson & Prembarsha Khadka & Dinesh Jeyakumaran & Udari Mambulage & Jennifer J. Infanti, 2019. "Can Forum Play Contribute to Counteracting Abuse in Health Care? A Pilot Intervention Study in Sri Lanka," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-10, May.
    3. Rena Bakker & Ephrem D Sheferaw & Jelle Stekelenburg & Tegbar Yigzaw & Marlou L A de Kroon, 2020. "Development and use of a scale to assess gender differences in appraisal of mistreatment during childbirth among Ethiopian midwifery students," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Emanuelle Pessa Valente & Ilaria Mariani & Benedetta Covi & Marzia Lazzerini, 2022. "Quality of Informed Consent Practices around the Time of Childbirth: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-13, June.
    5. Dinusha Perera & Muzrif Munas & Katarina Swahnberg & Kumudu Wijewardene & Jennifer J. Infanti & on behalf of the ADVANCE Study Group, 2022. "Obstetric Violence Is Prevalent in Routine Maternity Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of Obstetric Violence and Its Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Sri Lanka’s Colombo District," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-13, August.
    6. Torrisi, Orsola & Svallfors, Signe & Gargiulo, Maria, 2024. "Obstetric violence in the context of community violence: The case of Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 360(C).
    7. Julie Prowse & Peter Prowse, 2008. "Role redesign in the National Health Service," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 22(4), pages 695-712, December.
    8. Allan K. Nkwata & Ming Zhang & Xiao Song & Bruno Giordani & Amara E. Ezeamama, 2022. "Toxic Psychosocial Stress, Resiliency Resources and Time to Dementia Diagnosis in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Americans in the Health and Retirement Study from 2006–2016," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-18, February.
    9. Candipan, Jennifer & Hair, Nicole L. & Walsemann, Katrina M., 2024. "How long-term changes in neighborhood and school racial composition shape children's behavior problems," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 356(C).
    10. Read, Jen'nan Ghazal & West, Jessica S. & Kamis, Christina, 2020. "Immigration and health among non-Hispanic whites: The impact of arrival cohort and region of birth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    11. Catarina Barata, 2022. "“Mix of Races, Bad Uterus”: Obstetric Violence in the Experiences of Afro-Brazilian Migrants in Portugal," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, May.
    12. Smit, Anri & Coetzee, Bronwynè Jo’sean & Roomaney, Rizwana & Bradshaw, Melissa & Swartz, Leslie, 2019. "Women's stories of living with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 231-245.
    13. Jen’nan Ghazal Read & Scott M. Lynch & Jessica S. West, 2021. "Disaggregating Heterogeneity among Non-Hispanic Whites: Evidence and Implications for U.S. Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(1), pages 9-31, February.
    14. Shellae Versey, H. & Cogburn, Courtney C. & Wilkins, Clara L. & Joseph, Nakita, 2019. "Appropriated racial oppression: Implications for mental health in Whites and Blacks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 295-302.
    15. Lange, Isabelle L. & Kanhonou, Lydie & Goufodji, Sourou & Ronsmans, Carine & Filippi, Véronique, 2016. "The costs of ‘free’: Experiences of facility-based childbirth after Benin's caesarean section exemption policy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 53-62.
    16. Lipsey, Nikolette P. & Shepperd, James A., 2019. "Powerful audiences are linked to health information avoidance: Results from two surveys," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 51-59.
    17. Smith-Oka, Vania, 2022. "Cutting Women: Unnecessary cesareans as iatrogenesis and obstetric violence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    18. Efird, Caroline R. & Barrington, Clare & Metzl, Jonathan M. & Muessig, Kathryn E. & Matthews, Derrick D. & Lightfoot, Alexandra F., 2023. "“We grew up in the church”: A critical discourse analysis of Black and White rural residents’ perceptions of mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    19. Firew Tekle Bobo & Habtamu Kebebe Kasaye & Belachew Etana & Mirkuzie Woldie & Tesfaye Regassa Feyissa, 2019. "Disrespect and abuse during childbirth in Western Ethiopia: Should women continue to tolerate?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, June.
    20. San Juanita García & Taylor Trummel & Monica Cornejo & Katherine Maldonado & Ana Ojeda & Humberto Flores & Bruce G. Link, 2021. "Immigrant Health Inequities: Exposing Diversions and White Supremacy," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-22, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:363:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624009511. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.