2705 – Cultural Issues in the Prevention and Treatment of Perinatal Disorders

Abstract

The birth of a child is a crucial event in the woman life, generally is a moment of joy and fulfillment, but instead often experienced by new mother with concern, fear and anxiety. The psychological vulnerability of women during the postnatal period is commonly referred to a “postpartum depression”, a term that is actually referred to a cluster of symptoms with a very different clinical level, severity and duration. If a network of family and social support, which is active in caring for new mothers and newborns, is usual for the European women, for the migrant woman in most cases this support is totally lacking. The absence of a social support, with economic and housing precariousness, frequently brings foreign women into a particular vulnerability situation, with an increased risk for the development of postnatal depression. Many studies clearly show an increased postpartum depression risk for migrant women than for women living in their country of origin.