ReviewBMC pregnancy and childbirth2016
"Is it realistic?" the portrayal of pregnancy and childbirth in the media.
Review in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 146 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reproducing fear: the effect of birth stories on nulligravid women's birth preferences.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Trial
- A Concept Analysis of the Dynamics of Risk, Midwifery Agency and the Maternity Early Warning Tool.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- Love's Labor Lost and Maternal Mortality, 30 Years Later.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2026Article
- Prevalence and correlates of cesarean section delivery and physician attendance during cesarean section in Bangladesh: evidence from nationally representative data 2017-18.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Overcoming Shame to Vocalise During Childbirth: A Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- The 'amplifier' of fertility risk perception in a social network environment: the chain-mediated effects of body image comparison and negative physical self.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Caesarean section on maternal request - a qualitative study of stakeholders´ views.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- The struggle over caesarean section on maternal request: an ethical principles approach to Swedish media portrayal.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Review
- Women's perceptions of medicalised pregnancy and childbirth: an exploratory sequential mixed-method protocol study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- The perfect birth: a content analysis of midwives' posts about birth on Instagram.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Observational
- Navigating intensive altered states of consciousness: How can the set and setting key parameters promote the science of human birth?Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- A multi-level analysis of prevalence and factors associated with caesarean section in Nigeria.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Exploring Western Australian Women's experiences of sharing positive birth stories.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Disrespect and abuse during labour and birth amongst 12,239 women in the Netherlands: a national survey.Reproductive health · 2022Article
- Childbirth fear, birth-related mindset and knowledge in non-pregnant women without birth experience.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- The barriers to offering non-pharmacological pain management as an initial option for laboring women: A review of the literature.European journal of midwifery · 2022Review
- A national assessment of elective cesarean sections in Bangladesh and the need for health literacy and accessibility.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Women's experiences of the OASI Care Bundle; a package of care to reduce severe perineal trauma.International urogynecology journal · 2021Article
- "You Probably Won't Notice Any Symptoms": Blood Pressure in Pregnancy-Discourses of Contested Expertise in an Era of Self-Care and Responsibilization.Qualitative health research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundConsiderable debate surrounds the influence media have on first-time pregnant women. Much of the academic literature discusses the influence of (reality) television, which often portrays birth as risky, dramatic and painful and there is evidence that this has a negative effect on childbirth in society, through the increasing anticipation of negative outcomes. It is suggested that women seek out such programmes to help understand what could happen during the birth because there is a cultural void. However the impact that has on normal birth has not been explored.
methodsA scoping review relating to the representation of childbirth in the mass media, particularly on television.
resultsThree key themes emerged: (a) medicalisation of childbirth; (b) women using media to learn about childbirth; and (c) birth as a missing everyday life event.
conclusionMedia appear to influence how women engage with childbirth. The dramatic television portrayal of birth may perpetuate the medicalisation of childbirth, and last, but not least, portrayals of normal birth are often missing in the popular media. Hence midwives need to engage with television producers to improve the representation of midwifery and maternity in the media.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.