Embodiment of sociopolitical stress during pregnancy and coping strategies among perinatal Filipina women.

Fear and uncertainty surrounding contemporary sociopolitical environments are emerging as global concerns for maternal and fetal health. However, limited research has examined how pregnant individuals perceive and embody these conditions and their implications for health. We focus on the Philippines, a country marked by intense State violence, to explore how fraught sociopolitical environments shape the impacts of stress during pregnancy among Filipina women. Through the lens of embodiment, this study investigates how perinatal women perceive sociopolitical stress and the coping strategies they employ to manage these stressors. We interviewed 21 pregnant and recently pregnant Filipina women across multiple regions of the Philippines. Participants reflected on their experiences of the current political climate and its perceived impact on their pregnancies. We found that stress arises from an interplay of everyday and sociopolitical stressors, and that awareness of and interaction with Filipino news and media contributed to levels of perceived stress. Using thematic analyses, we identified two primary forms of agentive coping strategies aimed at mitigating potential harm. These themes were (1) reframing stress (i.e., community viewing, familial support, humor): and (2) exercising agency through political apathy (i.e., disengagement, bahala na, avoidance, silence). This is one of the first studies to examine how perinatal women navigate and manage the embodied effects of sociopolitical stress. Our findings highlight the importance of considering sociopolitical contexts in shaping maternal health during pregnancy.