Maternity in Spanish Elite Sportswomen: A Qualitative Study

The aim of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of maternity among Spanish elite sportswomen. Twenty (n = 20) Spanish elite sportswomen with the following criteria were included: (a) aged 18-65 years; (b) had been pregnant during their sporting professional career;...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Women & health 2014-04, Vol.54 (3), p.262-279
Main Authors: Martinez-Pascual, Beatriz, Alvarez-Harris, Sara, Fernández-De-Las-Peñas, César, Palacios-Ceña, Domingo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Athletes
Athletes - psychology
Careers
elite athletes
Elites
Expectations
Female
Females
Guilt
Humans
Identity
Interviews as Topic
maternity
motherhood
Mothers
Mothers - psychology
phenomenology
Pregnancy
Qualitative Methods
Qualitative Research
Spain
Sports
Sports training
Women
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Summary:The aim of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of maternity among Spanish elite sportswomen. Twenty (n = 20) Spanish elite sportswomen with the following criteria were included: (a) aged 18-65 years; (b) had been pregnant during their sporting professional career; and (c) after the end of their pregnancy they had returned to their professional sporting career for at least one year. A qualitative analysis was conducted. Data were collected using in-depth personal interviews, investigator's field notes, and extracts from the participants' personal letters. Identified themes included: (a) a new identity, with two sub-themes ("mother role" and "being visible"); (b) going back to sport, with three subthemes ("guilt appears," "justifying going back to sport," and "rediscovering sport"); and, (c) reaching a goal, with two subthemes ("balancing mother-sportswoman" and "the challenge of maternity"). Understanding the meaning of maternity for elite Spanish sportswomen might help gain deeper insight into their expectations and develop training systems focused on elite sports women after pregnancy.
ISSN:0363-0242
1541-0331
DOI:10.1080/03630242.2014.883660