Informing Perinatal Mental Health Services
INDIVIDUAL
Social and Family Life
A woman’s social and family life can impact help seeking, access to care, and delivery and implementation of care.
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Social isolation
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Family and friends
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Additional personal difficulties
Social isolation
Social isolation can act as a barrier to perinatal mental health care, whereas social support can be a facilitator.
"Those without social relationships felt an additional burden when dealing with PPD [postpartum depression]"
Evidence level: Moderate
Parts of the care pathway affected: Decision to consult, Women’s experience of treatment.
Key literature:
Family and friends
Supportive family and friends can be a facilitator to perinatal mental health care, whereas having little support from family and friends is a barrier.
"It was sort of my partner saying to me: “Right, if you don’t go, I’m basically making nyou an appointment … You can’t just keep feeling like this".
Evidence level: Moderate
Parts of the care pathway affected: Decision to consult, Assessment, Decision to disclose, Access to treatment, Women’s experience of treatment.
Key literature:
Additional personal difficulties
Personal difficulties outside of perinatal mental illness such as unemployment can act as barriers to perinatal mental health care.
"I have this one client. . .(who) has so many issues going on, abusive relationship which she got out of and then custody battle with the children that are going to be a year in June and she is also pregnant. . .She had so much going on that she rejected the (mental health) referral".
Evidence level: Moderate
Parts of the care pathway affected: Decision to disclose, Access to treatment.
Key literature:
Recommendations
Social isolation can be a barrier to care for some women. We therefore recommend service managers considering offering peer support to women where appropriate.
Not being financially stable, and other personal difficulties can be a barrier to care. We therefore recommend the government provide a fair welfare and economic system that ensures that no one is living in poverty or in financial hardship.