“A View You Won’t Get Anywhere Else”? Depressed Mothers, Public Regulation and ‘Private’ Narrative

Cain, Ruth

doi:10.1007/s10691-009-9126-5

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Dilution of this sense of collective identity, which is fundamental to their culture, is further contributing towards a sense of isolation and disconnection among these women. This finding, which is consistent with prior studies [ 38 ], resonates with feminist perspectives on postnatal depression and the mental health and wellbeing of mothers, which considers how social and cultural contexts intersect with women’s experiences of mothering and impact on their wellbeing [ 40 , 43 – 47 ]. Afghan mothers face considerable challenges.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

A qualitative exploration of the emotional wellbeing and support needs of new mothers from Afghanistan living in Melbourne, Australia

Russo

Lewis

Joyce

et al. 2015

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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BackgroundThe Afghan community is a priority population for many health and social services within the southeast region of Melbourne, which is home to the largest population of Afghanistan-born people within the state of Victoria. The majority of Afghan women arriving in Australia are of childbearing age, and evidence suggests that they are at increased risk of emotional challenges following birth as a result of the refugee and migration experience. This research aimed to explored the experiences of Afghan women living in Melbourne throughout pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood, and gain insight into the aspects of their experiences that they perceive as positively and negatively impacting their emotional wellbeing.MethodsThis qualitative study collected data through two focus group discussions (conducted in Dari) and 10 in-depth interviews (conducted in Dari or English). Thirty-eight Afghanistan-born women aged 18 years and older, who recently migrated to Australia and have at least one Australian-born child, were purposively selected to participate. A trained bicultural worker assisted in recruitment, data collection and translation. Thematic analysis was performed, and findings were confirmed with a subgroup of participants prior to being included within reporting.ResultsParticipants consistently discussed experiencing emotional challenges following birth, identifying symptoms commonly associated with postnatal depression. Women largely attributed this emotional state to separation from family and culture, leading to loneliness, isolation, and disconnection. Participants expressed resistance towards professional support due to cultural stigma associated with mental illness. Partner support was seen to be positive but difficult to negotiate. Religion, strong relationship with child, forming friendships, education, and utilising childcare were identified as positive influences on the emotional wellbeing of women.ConclusionsThis study highlighted social and cultural factors contributing towards the emotional wellbeing of Afghan mothers. Findings confirm the need for innovative community-based models to support the mental health of Afghan women. This is particularly pertinent given the identified resistance towards discussing emotional wellbeing with healthcare professionals. Further research and investment is required in this area.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

A qualitative exploration of the emotional wellbeing and support needs of new mothers from Afghanistan living in Melbourne, Australia

Russo

Lewis

Joyce

et al. 2015

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…110 These nuanced and relational`theoretical imaginings' not only complicate conventional legal accounts, but are consistent with a theoretical shift in contemporary health law from the body to embodiment as a focus of concern. 111 Embodiment scholarship has been attentive to the importance of integrating physical and mental dimensions of bodies and health, 112 in order to avoid replicating the mind/body split which, as we have seen, contributes to problematic readings of the legal subject 113 and continues to structure dominant legal understandings of bodily integrity. As Simon Williams and Gillian Bendelow argue, embodiment theory rejects the tendency`to theorise about bodies in a largely disembodied .…”

Section: From Bodies To Embodiment; From Bodily Integrity To Embodiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bodily Integrity, Embodiment, and the Regulation of Parental Choice

Fox

Thomson

2017

Journal of Law and Society

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In this article we develop a new model of bodily integrity that we designate ‘embodied integrity’. We deploy it to argue that non‐therapeutic interventions on children should be considered within a decision‐making framework that prioritizes embodied integrity. This would counter the excessive decision‐making power that law currently accords to parents, protecting the child's immediate and future interests. Focusing on legal responses to genital cutting, we suggest that current legal understandings of bodily integrity are impoverished and problematic. By contrast, adoption of an ‘embodied integrity’ model carves out a space for children's rights, while avoiding these negative consequences. We propose that embodied integrity should trump competing values in any best‐interests assessment where a non‐therapeutic intervention is requested. Drawing on Drucilla Cornell and Joel Feinberg's theories we argue that protecting a child's embodied integrity is essential to guarantee his/her right to make future embodied choices and become a fully individuated person.

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“…Certainly, pregnancy, birth and child-rearing are bodily events which happen only to women (at least currently). Thus, in considering them and their relevance for the subject who carries them out, we tap into an underlying feminist discomfort with the vulnerable reproductive body (Cain, 2009). The period of becoming a mother is a fundamental issue for feminism and a challenging one for psychology, as it involves processes hard to access via available language and discourses (Hollway, 2016) mostly because, despite advances in gender equality and partner involvement in childcaring roles (Lupton & Barclay, 1997) it is women who mother, and women who parent for the most part.…”

Section: Feminist Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“I am the worst pregnant woman ever”: A mixed-method study of the nature of psychological distress during pregnancy

Staneva¹

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Pregnancy constitutes a major life event that confronts women with unique physical, social, economic and psychological adjustments. Epidemiological evidence suggests that the prevalence and severity of most common mental health disorders (such as depressive and anxiety disorders) during pregnancy are not different from those in the population of non-pregnant women. However, the mental health state of pregnant women has received considerable clinical and scientific attention because of its suggested influence on the pregnancy outcome, the baby, and the future child. There is emerging evidence that experiencing antenatal distress may lead to suboptimal birth, adverse birth outcome, This thesis begins with an outline of the research problem and sets the scene by providing the theoretical and methodological assumptions that underlie the design and the conduct of this thesis. In introducing this work, I argue that it is important to draw from a mixed-methodology scholarship grounded in feminism and critical realism to ensure a multi-faceted understanding of such complex phenomena as pregnancy and distress. I then position my research within a background of the existing literature, and pinpoint the gaps which this thesis aims to address. Starting with an epidemiological systematic review, I explore the link between antenatal distress and preterm birth, followed by a meta-synthesis of the qualitative literature that has examined the experience of antenatal distress. First, Isuggest that direct causal relationships between antenatal distress and adverse birth outcomes cannot be established in a conclusive way, and secondly I argue that such assumptions can be problematic for women as the experiences of antenatal distress involve a complex journey. I then suggest that pregnancy distress entails a process similar to that of iii grief and loss as a result of women's inability to situate their experience within the good and perfect mother discourse.The empirical section of this thesis draws on data I collected both via an online survey and through interviews and is presented in three consecutive studies. The online survey, which was completed by over 290 eligible pregnant women from Australia and New Zealand, consisted of various psychosocial questionnaires administered at three time points (twice during pregnancy and once after birth). This longitudinal data formed the basis for the first empirical study which explored the psychosocial predictors of antenatal distress. In this study I conclude that it is a woman's overall sense of coherence that predetermines her distress during pregnancy. In order to advance the understanding of the meanings that women ascribed to their experience, and how these affected their 'at odds' perceptions of motherhood, I then present the findings from a qualitative study with 18Australian women who reported pregnancy distress. Together, these studies point to the need to develop a more general framework for understanding antenatal distress allowing for factors such as global sense of fi...

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“A View You Won’t Get Anywhere Else”? Depressed Mothers, Public Regulation and ‘Private’ Narrative

Cited by 6 publications

References 46 publications

A qualitative exploration of the emotional wellbeing and support needs of new mothers from Afghanistan living in Melbourne, Australia

A qualitative exploration of the emotional wellbeing and support needs of new mothers from Afghanistan living in Melbourne, Australia

Bodily Integrity, Embodiment, and the Regulation of Parental Choice

“I am the worst pregnant woman ever”: A mixed-method study of the nature of psychological distress during pregnancy

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