Choice and control over my body and health? Women's reproductive health in socio-cultural context

Abstract

Aim: This symposium aims to promote research on women’s unique health psychology issues. We will present a variety of pregnancy and birth-related matters women deal with, highlight the social paradigms that affect them and stress the importance of identifying populations at risk of health disparities. Rationale: Reproductive health matters concern women across the globe, though often choices on these issues are limited. Women’s subjective experience of these matters, their perceptions, ways of coping and decision-making processes, could affect their physical and emotional health in the short and long term. Therefore, it is imperative to study and share knowledge on these subjects. In addition, not all women are alike and it is important to recognize how reproductive issues play-out among women in different life circumstances. Summary: Issues of conception, pregnancy termination and childbirth are experienced very differently by women from diverse social groups and under changing circumstances such as unwanted or desired but not achieved pregnancies. We will explore how social and intra-psychic constructs affect women’s health psychology in regards to reproduction. We will open with several short thought-provoking videos that encapsulate choice and control surrounding women’s reproduction in different cultures and settings. These videos will set the ground for the following presentations and the audience engagement in the discussion thereafter: 1. An investigation of contraceptives use among women from different ethnic groups in Malaysia (Morgan). 2. An examination of health behaviours of adolescent Israeli’s going through pregnancy termination (Preis). 3.An exploration of infertility centrality in the identity of Israeli women in ongoing fertility treatment and its association with well-being (Neter). 4. Development of a multi-dimensional construct of control during childbirth among pregnant Israeli women (Benyamini). We will end with an integrative and interactive discussion among presenters and audience, calling for more research and collaboration regarding women’s psychological health.