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Living with severe perinatal depression: a qualitative study of the experiences of labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border

Living with severe perinatal depression: a qualitative study of the experiences of labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border
Living with severe perinatal depression: a qualitative study of the experiences of labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border

Background: perinatal depression is an important contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Migrant women, particularly those resettling within low- and middle-income settings, are at increased risk of perinatal depression due to multiple stressors experienced before, during and after migration. Evidence on migrant perinatal mental health to date has focused largely on women in high-income destination countries, leaving the voices of displaced women in low-income settings unheard. This study addresses the current evidence gap by exploring the experiences of migrant women living on the Thai-Myanmar border.

Methods: in-depth interviews were conducted with pregnant and post-partum labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border who had been diagnosed with severe depression. An interview guide covering women's current and past life experiences, social support and the impact of depression on social and occupational functioning was used as a prompt. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes emerging from women's narratives.

Results: eleven pregnant and post-partum women with severe perinatal depression took part. Participating women provided extensive insight into the many difficult aspects of their lives that they perceived as contributing to their depression status. Predominant themes emerging from women's narratives included difficult relationships with partners, challenging life situations, mechanisms for coping with depression and impressions of mental health care.

Conclusions: labour migrant and refugee women with severe perinatal depression face a wide range of chronic stressors at the individual, household and community levels that are likely to have both short- and long-term negative effects on their mental well-being and day-to-day functioning. Participating women responded positively to the mental health support they received, and findings provide important insights into how services might further support their needs.

Adult, Depression, Postpartum/diagnosis, Female, Humans, Interview, Psychological/methods, Myanmar/ethnology, Poverty/ethnology, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis, Pregnant Women/ethnology, Qualitative Research, Refugees/psychology, Severity of Illness Index, Social Support, Thailand/ethnology, Transients and Migrants/psychology, Young Adult
1471-244X
Fellmeth, Gracia
691f80d3-fb29-4219-86ed-848b117e6f09
Plugge, Emma H.
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Nosten, Suphak
24e88f10-268e-478f-917c-151ebce920ad
Oo, May May
26fa0e18-56e4-4cbe-b7c0-68f8adff72e8
Fazel, Mina
24c4df8f-d9e0-4d84-9353-cee4adafe55e
Charunwatthana, Prakaykaew
a2c22c2c-b4d9-4e83-bfb0-edd3dfd553f2
Nosten, François
4a9e868e-9b19-49a0-89f8-891ad84886e4
Fitzpatrick, Raymond
bea5c739-8a31-41ad-995b-c91919bb4211
McGready, Rose
901b40d0-a81c-4d92-bebf-7573eb8df859
Fellmeth, Gracia
691f80d3-fb29-4219-86ed-848b117e6f09
Plugge, Emma H.
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Nosten, Suphak
24e88f10-268e-478f-917c-151ebce920ad
Oo, May May
26fa0e18-56e4-4cbe-b7c0-68f8adff72e8
Fazel, Mina
24c4df8f-d9e0-4d84-9353-cee4adafe55e
Charunwatthana, Prakaykaew
a2c22c2c-b4d9-4e83-bfb0-edd3dfd553f2
Nosten, François
4a9e868e-9b19-49a0-89f8-891ad84886e4
Fitzpatrick, Raymond
bea5c739-8a31-41ad-995b-c91919bb4211
McGready, Rose
901b40d0-a81c-4d92-bebf-7573eb8df859

Fellmeth, Gracia, Plugge, Emma H., Nosten, Suphak, Oo, May May, Fazel, Mina, Charunwatthana, Prakaykaew, Nosten, François, Fitzpatrick, Raymond and McGready, Rose (2018) Living with severe perinatal depression: a qualitative study of the experiences of labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border. BMC Psychiatry, 18, [229]. (doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1815-7).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: perinatal depression is an important contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Migrant women, particularly those resettling within low- and middle-income settings, are at increased risk of perinatal depression due to multiple stressors experienced before, during and after migration. Evidence on migrant perinatal mental health to date has focused largely on women in high-income destination countries, leaving the voices of displaced women in low-income settings unheard. This study addresses the current evidence gap by exploring the experiences of migrant women living on the Thai-Myanmar border.

Methods: in-depth interviews were conducted with pregnant and post-partum labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border who had been diagnosed with severe depression. An interview guide covering women's current and past life experiences, social support and the impact of depression on social and occupational functioning was used as a prompt. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes emerging from women's narratives.

Results: eleven pregnant and post-partum women with severe perinatal depression took part. Participating women provided extensive insight into the many difficult aspects of their lives that they perceived as contributing to their depression status. Predominant themes emerging from women's narratives included difficult relationships with partners, challenging life situations, mechanisms for coping with depression and impressions of mental health care.

Conclusions: labour migrant and refugee women with severe perinatal depression face a wide range of chronic stressors at the individual, household and community levels that are likely to have both short- and long-term negative effects on their mental well-being and day-to-day functioning. Participating women responded positively to the mental health support they received, and findings provide important insights into how services might further support their needs.

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Accepted/In Press date: 10 July 0208
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 July 2018
Keywords: Adult, Depression, Postpartum/diagnosis, Female, Humans, Interview, Psychological/methods, Myanmar/ethnology, Poverty/ethnology, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis, Pregnant Women/ethnology, Qualitative Research, Refugees/psychology, Severity of Illness Index, Social Support, Thailand/ethnology, Transients and Migrants/psychology, Young Adult

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 485275
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/485275
ISSN: 1471-244X
PURE UUID: bb16bb7d-3f81-49e1-b829-b678fa7eaf4d
ORCID for Emma H. Plugge: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8359-0071

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Date deposited: 01 Dec 2023 17:58
Last modified: 12 Jul 2024 02:06

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Contributors

Author: Gracia Fellmeth
Author: Emma H. Plugge ORCID iD
Author: Suphak Nosten
Author: May May Oo
Author: Mina Fazel
Author: Prakaykaew Charunwatthana
Author: François Nosten
Author: Raymond Fitzpatrick
Author: Rose McGready

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