Background Due to the current world situation, Sweden has one of the highest asylum applications within the European Union. Immigrant mothers, specifically those who have immigrated during the last ten years and do not speak the language of the new country, are found to be at particular risk of being effected by postpartum depression. Aim In this study, we elucidate Swedish Child Health Services nurses’ experiences of identifying signs of postpartum depression in non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mothers. Methods Latent content analysis was used when analysing data material from 13 research interviews. Results Being able to interpret a non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mother's mood required establishing and constant deepening of a transcultural caring relationship, the use of cultural knowledge to perceive signs of postpartum depression from observations and interactions and to rely on intuition. Conclusion There are both challenges and key factors for success in interpreting the mood of non‐Swedish‐speaking immigrant mothers. Implications This study provides information to healthcare professionals about challenges with adapting the screening with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to immigrant mothers not speaking the language of residence. Tacit knowledge and cultural competence among healthcare personnel are invaluable assets when interpreting mental health in this vulnerable group of mothers.

Background Lately, greater focus has been given to the mental health of nonbirthing parents postpartum. However, mothers, but not nonbirthing parents, are routinely screened for postpartum depression, and until recently, nonbirthing parents have not been given the same opportunity as mothers to discuss their parental role without the other parent present. To strengthen the parental role, a separate parental interview with the nonbirthing parent began to be offered as part of the Swedish Child Health Service's (CHS) general programme. Aim This study aimed to explore CHS nurses’ experiences of performing parental interviews with nonbirthing parents. Methods Content analysis was used when analysing data from six research interviews, of which half were focus group interviews. In total, 11 CHS nurses were interviewed. Results Child Health Service nurses reported that although the interview with the nonbirthing parent was a positive experience and that a more family‐oriented perspective was something many of them had been longing for, they could also feel that it demanded a lot from them, including things they had perhaps not previously considered. CHS nurses reported difficulties with having such close contact with both parents, and they also described feeling worried about the information that could come up in a standardised conversation and the knowledge provided. Conclusion There are both possibilities and challenges in widening the responsibilities of the CHS nurse to include the nonbirthing parent by offering a postpartum interview. Implications This study provides information to healthcare professionals about the importance of providing proper guidance and education when broadening the duties and responsibilities for CHS nurses to include nonbirthing parents in mental health screening. CHS nurses must be given the resources needed to deal with the challenges they encounter and sufficient time for the interviews to be possible and meaningful.

Immigrant mothers who have immigrated during the last ten years and do not speak the language of the new country are found to be at particular risk of being affected by postpartum depression (PPD). Still they choose to participate to a lesser extent in screening for PPD and are not screened out as frequently as can be expected. In this study, non-native-speaking immigrant mothers' experiences of participating in screening for PPD in the Swedish Child Health Services were elucidated. Thirteen qualitative interviews were performed with the help of an interpreter and analysed using latent content analysis. The possibility to participate in screening was appreciated by the mothers even though the concept of PPD in general was unclear. Cultural beliefs about mental ill health, negative expectations connected to their perceived value as a woman, shame at not being grateful enough for their new life and negative experience of the interaction during the screening challenged them in speaking about their mood. To facilitate the screening procedure for this vulnerable group of mothers, it is important to be aware of possible challenges when speaking about their mood and to strive for a trusting clinical interview with the assistance of a female interpreter on-site.

Introduction Postpartum depression is considered a major public health problem, which immigrant mothers are at particular risk of being affected by, but it can also have long-lasting traumatic effects on the child’s health and development. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is the world’s most commonly employed screening instrument for postpartum depression, used in connection with a clinical interview to screen for symptoms of postpartum depression. The aim of this study was to synthesize health care professionals (HCPs) experiences of identifying signs of postpartum depression and performing screening on immigrant mothers, since previous research suggested that this task might be challenging. Methods The databases CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, Embase and Cochrane were searched for papers published January 2000–December 2020, reporting qualitative data on immigrants, postpartum depression and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Eight papers representing eight studies from four countries were included and the Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to assess their quality. The synthesis of studies was guided by Noblit & Hare’s seven-step method based on meta-ethnography. Findings The synthesis resulted in two final themes: “I do my best, but I doubt that it’s enough” and “I can find no way forward”. The themes convey the fear and frustration that health care professionals experienced; fear of missing mothers with signs of postpartum depression, related to feeling uncomfortable in the cross-cultural setting and frustration in handling difficulties associated with communication, translated versions of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and cultural implications of postpartum depression. Conclusions and clinical implication By supporting HCPs’ self-efficacy in handling cultural implications of postpartum depression and by developing evidence-based clinical guidelines for the use of interpreters and translated versions of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale the screening of immigrant mothers may be facilitated.

Background: Screening immigrant mothers for postpartum depression has been shown to be challenging for health care professionals in handling cultural implications of postpartum depression, communicating through interpreter and applying translated versions of the screening scale. Aim:The aim of the study was to test the feasibility of an evidence-based educational intervention for Child Health Services nurses in screening non-native-speaking immigrant mothers for postpartum depression.