The impact of migration on women’s mental health in the postpartum period

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To assess the influence of I mmigration on the psychological health of women after childbirth.METHODS In this cross-sectional study, immigrant and Portuguese-native women delivering in the four public hospitals of the metropolitan area of Porto, Portugal, were contacted by telephone between February and December 2012 during the first postpartum month to schedule a home visit and fill in a questionnaire. Most immigrant (76.1%) and Portuguese mothers (80.0%) agreed to participate and with the visits, thus a total of 89 immigrants and 188 Portuguese women were included in the study. The questionnaire included the application of four validated scales: Mental Health Inventory-5, Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Scale of Satisfaction with Social Support. Statistical analysis included t-test and Chi-square or Fisher’s test, and logistic regression models.RESULTS Immigrants had an increased risk of postpartum depression (OR = 6.444, 95%CI 1.858–22.344), and of low satisfaction with social support (OR = 6.118, 95%CI 1.991–18.798). We did not perceive any associations between migrant state, perceived stress, and impoverished mental health.CONCLUSIONS Immigrant mothers have increased vulnerabilities in the postpartum period, resulting in an increased risk of postpartum depression and lesser satisfaction with the received social support.

Paternal Perinatal Depression Assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Gotland Male Depression Scale: Prevalence and Possible Risk Factors

“…To have been born in a foreign country seemed to be a possible risk factor for paternal depression in certain detection groups. In line with this result, a foreign country of birth has also been demonstrated a risk factor for depression in new mothers ( Eastwood et al, 2011 ; Almeida, Costa-Santos, Caldas, Dias, & Ayres-de-Campos, 2016 ; Fellmeth, Fazel, & Plugge, 2017 ). Parents that have been born in another country might be more prone to depression due to the psychological impact by forced migration or traumatic experiences like torture and loss of family members ( Almeida et al, 2016 ; Fellmeth et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Parents that have been born in another country might be more prone to depression due to the psychological impact by forced migration or traumatic experiences like torture and loss of family members ( Almeida et al, 2016 ; Fellmeth et al, 2017 ). Even when the reasons for migration are less dramatic, like striving for better life opportunities, migrants run increased risk for impaired mental health due to, for example, isolation, loss of social support, language difficulties, unemployment, and other problems related to the new environment ( Almeida et al, 2016 ; Fellmeth et al, 2017 ).…”

Postpartum depression and social support in a racially and ethnically diverse population of women

“…Differences in social support among various racial and ethnic groups does not appear to explain the increased prevalence of PPD among US minority populations. Perhaps a better explanation for these discrepancies, not addressed in this research, is the role of immigration (Almeida et al 2016;Bandyopadhyay et al 2010;Davey et al 2011;Dennis et al 2017b;Eastwood et al 2011;Falah-Hassani et al 2016;Gaillard et al 2014;Martinez et al 2017), discrimination (Bécares and Atatoa-Carr 2016;Beck 2006;Canady et al 2008;Davila et al 2009;Dennis et al 2017a;Dennis et al 2016;Martinez et al 2017;Turan et al 2014), and low socioeconomic status. We examined proxies for socioeconomic status here (government sponsored insurance status and level of education) but found they were not significantly associated with case status.…”

O papel do apoio social no adoecimento psíquico de mulheres

“…Regarding gender, previous studies have pointed out that women are more likely to seek, receive, and benefit from social support ( 8 – 9 ) . However, they have also pointed out that the responsibilities culturally attributed to women, such as the care of children, of the sick ones, of the elderly, and household chores often create situations in which they need to resort greatly to their support networks ( 8 – 9 ) . Thus, both in the scope of research and care, the perception of social support can be considered an indicator of mental health, especially among women.…”

“…Studies indicate that better social support rates are inversely related to mental disorders ( 8 , 10 ) . That is, social support may act as a protective factor for mental health, mitigating the symptoms related to these disorders.…”