Projects per year
Abstract
Mental illness can have negative impact on pregnant women, their infants and their families, including adverse birth outcomes, as well as place children at risk of developing mental illness later in life. It is recommended to offer additional support in the ante - and postnatal period, but to be able to offer appropriate, timely and effective care, more knowledge is needed on women's own experiences. The aim of this paper is to explore women's experiences with mental illness in the context of pregnancy and early motherhood, and how they experience and engage with supportive services.This paper presents selected findings from an ethnographic field study carried out in a Danish municipality. The findings are based on data from 22 women, who were recruited when they were pregnant or had a newborn baby. The women were currently facing or had previously suffered from one or multiple mental health conditions.Analysis found that women with current or prior mental illness experienced a high level of fear, worries and uncertainty during pregnancy and early motherhood, which shaped how they engaged with supportive maternity services. Some were deeply worried about their mental health and reached out for support to cope with this. Concerns about being a bad mother and about the potential influence of their mental illness on their infants were common. Furthermore, some women were scared of being judged as unfit mothers and losing custody of their children. Many experienced stigma surrounding mental illness, making some more hesitant about reaching out for support.By providing new insight into women's own perspectives, this study contributes with in-depth knowledge on women's experiences with mental illness during pregnancy and early motherhood, and illustrates how engaging with supportive services may be an ambivalent experience.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 127 |
Journal | European Journal of Public Health |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | Supplement_5 |
ISSN | 1101-1262 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2020 |
Event | 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 : Public health for the future of humanity: analysis, advocacy and action - Virtual Duration: 12 Oct 2020 → 16 Oct 2020 Conference number: 16 https://wcph2020.com/ |
Conference
Conference | 16th World Congress on Public Health 2020 |
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Number | 16 |
Location | Virtual |
Period | 12/10/2020 → 16/10/2020 |
Internet address |
Bibliographical note
ckaa165.127Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Supportive maternity care services: A Danish study exploring parents’ experiences with perinatal mental health issues'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Meeting the needs of vulnerable families: An ethnographic study of parental experiences of supportive maternity health care services in the ante – and postnatal period
Overgaard, C., Frederiksen, M. S. & Schmied, V.
01/12/2017 → 15/10/2021
Project: Research
Impacts
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Better services for vulnerable families
Charlotte Overgaard (Participant)
Impact: Social impact, Quality of life impact
Research output
- 1 PhD thesis
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Meeting the need of the family: An ethnographic study on the care experiences of parents in vulnerable positions during pregnancy and the postnatal period
Frederiksen, M. S., 2021, Aalborg Universitetsforlag. 123 p.Research output: PhD thesis
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