Résumé
Background: Refugee women are almost five times more likely to develop postpartum depression than Canadian-born women. This can be attributed to various difficulties they faced before coming to Canada as well as during resettlement. Moreover, refugee women usually face many obstacles when accessing health services, including language and cultural barriers, as well as unique help-seeking behaviors that are influenced by various cultural and practical factors. There has been a recent, rapid influx of Syrian refugees to Canada, and many of them are childbearing women. However, little is known about the experiences that these women have encountered pre- and post-resettlement, and their perceptions of mental health issues. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand refugee women's experiences of having a baby in Canada from a mental health perspective. Methods: A mixed methods research design included 12 Syrian refugee women who migrated to Saskatoon in 2015-16 and who were either pregnant or 1 year postpartum. The data were collected during a single focus group discussion and a structured questionnaire. Results: Our results showed that more than half of participants have depressive symptoms, half of them have anxiety symptoms, and one sixth have PTSD symptoms. Three major themes emerged from the qualitative data: 1) Understanding of maternal depression; 2) Protective factors for mental health; and 3) Barriers to mental health services. Conclusions: Maternal depression is an important feature in Syrian refugee women recently resettled in Canada. Reuniting these women with their families and engaging them in culturally appropriate support programs may improve their mental health outcomes.
| Langue d'origine | English |
|---|---|
| Numéro d'article | 240 |
| Journal | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth |
| Volume | 17 |
| Numéro de publication | 1 |
| DOI | |
| Statut de publication | Published - juill. 24 2017 |
| Publié à l'externe | Oui |
Note bibliographique
Funding Information:Reem: “It should be like we can go and visit them or the family can come and visit us. This way we would not feel like a bird in a cage or imprisoned…. This is the most important and critical issue here. This is what can cause depression.” Participants greatly appreciated the support from Canada and welcoming them by providing them with housing, medical care, and financial support.
Funding Information:
We thank the Syrian women who participated in the study. Thank you to the childcare providers and translators from Open Door Society, Saskatoon, SK. We also appreciate the support from the two local outreach programs; Healthy Mother Healthy Baby Program and Food for Thought Program within the Saskatoon Health Region, Saskatoon, SK.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
ODD de l’ONU
Cette action contribue à la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable suivants
