THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTIONS CONCERNING OF ALCOHOL USING DURING PREGNANCY

The article considers experience of application of focus-group technique for both analyzing social psychological conceptions about harm of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and development of prevention programs concerning fetal alcoholic syndrome, an incurable children disease developing because of mother's consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy. The development of preventive program is possible only on the basis the study results allowing getting reliable information about existing in different population groups (first of all in pregnant women, women of childbearing age and medical workers) attitudes concerning alcohol consumption during pregnancy and factors effecting decrease or stopping alcohol consumption by pregnant women as well. The study was carried out involving 7 focus groups: three with physicians (n=23) and four with women (n=23) and their husbands (n=5). The protocols of focus groups were analyzed using software A TLAS-ti 5.0. The most typical attitudes concerning alcohol consumption during pregnancy were established. It was discovered that neither women nor physicians have no essential knowledge about effect of alcohol on fetus and about fetal alcoholic syndrome.