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The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate the phenomenon of infertility as experienced by infertile women. A purposive sample of 25 infertile women participated in the study. Data were extracted from taped interviews and the researcher's observational field notes. Data analysis was conducted according to the techniques described by Miles and Huberman (1994). Participant responses to interviews were categorized by examining the interview transcripts and identifying significant statements and meanings. Themes which emerged from the statements were then ascertained and cross-case comparisons were made in order to confirm or to reconsider these themes. Five key themes emerged from the data: failure to fulfill a prescribed societal norm, assault on personal identity, mourning, transformation, and restitution. The women experienced infertility as a transformational process in which they mourned their loss of reproductive function and parenting roles and struggled to make restitution for the perceived stigma and powerlessness associated with nonfulfillment of a prescribed societal norm, the exclusion from cherished societal rituals, and the deprivation of ties of descent. Findings from this study have provided a framework for increased awareness of the phenomenon of infertility and for the essential components of supportive counseling or psychotherapy, regardless of the outcome of the infertility experience.

A qualitative study using focus groups to explore African American women's mental representations of hypertension was conducted with 47 participants. The ability of participants to select and perform rational procedures for threat management also was explored. Leventhal's Self-Regulation Process Model was used to guide the development of the study. African American women (mean age 50.11 years) were recruited from community settings to participate in focus groups. Transcripts from the focus groups were coded and analyzed using comparative analysis. Four themes were generated from the women's mental representations: (1) Vulnerability and Inevitability, (2) Biobehavioral Assaults, (3) Barriers to Effective Management, and (4) Culturally Relevant Remedies. Hypertension was perceived as a significant disease threat; causality was associated with risk factors interacting within the context of psychological stress. Acquiring a clear perspective of how African American women perceive hypertension and their ability to reduce risk factors can assist in developing a model for stimulating the use of health promotive behavior.