{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T21:39:34Z","timestamp":1780349974764,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,6]],"date-time":"2024-11-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1730851200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Pregnancy and childbirth are uncertain experiences that become even more so when parents receive an unexpected medical diagnosis for their child. In the present study, we document sources of uncertainty and the tools used to manage uncertainty in 44 mothers\u2019 narratives about the birth and diagnosis of their child with Down syndrome (DS); we also explore variability in the sources of uncertainty and uncertainty management tools as a function of whether mothers received a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of DS for their child. Across our sample, thematic analysis revealed four sources of uncertainty in mothers\u2019 narratives: navigating dissonance between parents and providers during diagnosis, managing disclosure of the diagnosis to others, anticipating child-centered challenges and adjusting developmental expectations, and anticipating family-centered challenges and adjusting familial expectations. Analyses also revealed four ways that uncertainty was managed: finding balance between parents and providers during diagnosis, reducing knowledge gaps by seeking information, pursuing support and building positive interpersonal relationships, and pursuing support and building positive relationships in DS communities. These findings, along with potential nuance based on whether mothers received a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of DS for their child, have important implications for healthcare providers and medical professionals regarding how to best communicate DS diagnoses to families as a means of understanding and ultimately reducing the uncertainty they experience.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0313195","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,6]],"date-time":"2024-11-06T18:30:32Z","timestamp":1730917832000},"page":"e0313195","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["\u201cWhat does this mean for our future?\u201d uncertainty management in mothers\u2019 narratives about the diagnosis and birth of their child with Down syndrome"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Xavier","family":"Scruggs","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shannon","family":"Dier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caleb A.","family":"Schlaupitz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katherine A.","family":"Karayianis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0513-8220","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Angela F.","family":"Lukowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jennifer G.","family":"Bohanek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,6]]},"reference":[{"issue":"24","key":"pone.0313195.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2344","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra1706537","article-title":"Down syndrome.","volume":"382","author":"MJ Bull","year":"2020","journal-title":"New Engl J Med"},{"key":"pone.0313195.ref002","author":"National Association for Down Syndrome","year":"2022","journal-title":"Facts about Down syndrome"},{"key":"pone.0313195.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1007\/s00247-017-3958-y","article-title":"Have we done our last amniocentesis? 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