Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Nursing - Department of Maternal and Newborn Health Nursing

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a disorder of the immune system that is characterized by excessive clotting of blood and adverse pregnancy outcome that negatively affect women{u2019}s quality of life; as women with this disorder may experience devastating problems during pregnancy. Aim: 1) To explore the lived experience and quality of life for pregnant women having antiphospholipid syndrome; and 2) To assess the relationship of providing informational support to the lived experience and quality of life for these women. Design: Methodological triangulation approach was adopted which is acombination between quantitative approach and phenomenological qualitative research approach. Sample: purposive sample of 43 pregnant women with antiphospholipid syndrome.Setting: the high-risk pregnancy department at Obstetrics and Gynecology Cairo University Hospitals. Tools: Tools of data collection were; 1) Unstructured interview, and 2) the Arabic version of World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results: result of the study revealed that uncertainty was the core concept that reflected the experience of the pregnant women under study. This was represented in three major phases; uncertainty before diagnosis with antiphospholipid syndrome, uncertainty after diagnosis, and uncertainty during hospitalization. Seven themes emerged from the data analysis as follows; living in uncertainty, social burden, psychological suffering, fear of the unknown, stressful hospitalization, threats, and unsettled quality of life. There was an improvement in the perception of women with antiphospholipid as regard to rating their quality of life before and after informational support with statistically significant P< 0.001.There were no statistically significant differences between all domains before and after receiving the informational support with P {u2265} 0.05, except the environmental domain (P = 0.0001)

Issued also as CD