Exploring Maternal Mental Health in Syrian Refugee Women

Abstract

Introduction

There has been a rapid influx of 30,000 Syrian refugees in Canada, many are women of childbearing age, and most have young children. The literature reports that refugee women are almost 5 times more likely to develop postpartum depression than Canadian-born women. However, little is known about the experiences that the Syrian refugee women have encountered pre- and post-resettlement and their perceptions of mental health issues in general, and of maternal depression in particular. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the refugee women's experiences of having a baby in Canada from a mental health perspective.

Methods

Participants include Syrian refugee women who migrated to Saskatoon Canada in 2015–16 and who were either pregnant or up to one year postpartum. Qualitative data was collected via a focus group with thematic analysis, while depression with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and PTSD screening and sociodemographic descriptive data were collected from a structured questionnaire to provide context for the qualitative analysis.

Results

Twelve women participated in the focus group, despite smiling often, 58% of them screened as probable depression (EPDS > 10), 25% screened positive for depression (> 12 on EPDS), and 17% screened positive for PTSD. None of the women indicated intimate partner violence or suicidal thoughts. All participants indicated social support, mostly partner, and 25% had a history of depression. Thematic analysis will be shared.

Conclusions

Perinatal Depression is a serious problem for refugee women that deserve more in-depth study to ensure optimal outcomes and to develop services and programs.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.