Barriers to discussing and detecting low mood after child birth

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    An exploration of barriers to detection and disclosure of low mood during the postnatal period in first and second-generation Pakistani-Muslim women.

  • IRAS ID

    244725

  • Contact name

    Amirah Akhtar

  • Contact email

    a.akhtar34@student.bradford.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Bradford

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    n/a, n/a

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 1 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Postnatal depression (PND) is a type of depression some women experience after having their baby. PND can happen to any woman, whether they are White, Black or Asian. However, research has found that south Asian women (Pakistani, Indian, Bengali) have a higher chance of developing PND or experiencing low mood after having their baby. This PhD focuses on Pakistani-Muslim women who are English and Urdu speakers and looks at what makes it easy and/or difficult for them to talk about their mood/feelings after having their baby to health professionals and family members, how much they know about PND and what support they feel is important after they have had their baby.
    To help answer these questions we will conduct three studies. In study one we will interview 30 women who have had a child who is between 4-12 months old. In this study we want to find out how much women know about PND, how they comfortable they feel discussing low mood and with whom, whether they have been asked about their feelings after having a baby by a health professional.
    In study two we will interview six women, who have experienced low mood after having their baby, these women have not been diagnosed with PND. These women attended Perinatal Family Action, a support service for women and families who experience difficulty during pregnancy or after having their baby. With this study we want to find out how women came to know about the service, what happens during a visit and how helpful the service was for them.
    In study three we will interview 12 health visitors who have worked with Pakistani-Muslim women. This study is to help understand the relationship between health visitors and mothers and how this affects discussion of mood after having a baby and spotting signs of PND. With this study we want to find out what a typical day as a health visitor consists of, how they screen for PND and what happens if they suspect a woman is experiencing low mood or PND.

  • REC name

    Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    18/YH/0404

  • Date of REC Opinion

    8 Nov 2018

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion