Date of Award

January 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Ashley Hagaman

Abstract

This pilot study examines depictions of doulas in U.S. scripted primetime television aired between 2015 and 2025. Using a mixed methods pilot design, the study combines quantitative content analysis and qualitative observations to assess representational patterns across scripted fictional medical television and non-medical television shows. 28 scenes across 17 episodes airing between 2015 and 2025 were analyzed to collect scene metadata and demographic and structural representation variables. Two episodes, one medical and one non-medical, were selected for in-depth qualitative observations using the Good Birth Framework (Lyerly, 2013; Kozhimannil et al., 2016) Findings show that doula portrayals are concentrated in non-medical television shows, demographically homogenous, and met with skepticism or hostility by onscreen support persons. These preliminary findings illustrate the critical need for further research with larger samples that include other forms of birth attendants, examining the extent to which televised portrayals might deviate from their evidence informed role of birth attendants in maternal care, as well as investigating how such on-screen representations may shapeviewers’ expectations, perceptions and understandings.

Comments

This thesis is restricted to Yale network users only. It will be made publicly available on 09/16/2028

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