Enhancing Support for Military Families in the Perinatal Period
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring and evaluating what is needed to enhance support for military families in the perinatal period.
IRAS ID
363440
Contact name
Stephanie Roberson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation trust (ESNEFT)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
Spouses and partners of people serving in the military have particular challenges in terms of accessing and receiving healthcare. They are often living far away from family support and may not have their partners present around the time of pregnancy and childbirth. This project aims to improve the support made available to military-connected women, from maternity services during and after their pregnancies. It will be conducted in military communities who are served by East Suffolk and North Essex Trust(ESNEFT) maternity services. Any woman from this community who has been pregnant within the previous 2 years is eligible to take part.
This study aims to address the gap in knowledge regarding maternity care experience for military-connected women generally, and to understand in the ESNEFT area specifically, the maternity experiences, needs and preferences of those from the area. To understand these needs we will use a combination of questionnaires and focus groups or interviews. Our participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire asking about their experiences. On completing the questionnaire, they will be invited to take part in a focus group or interview which will discuss further the findings from the questionnaire. Following this we will design, pilot and evaluate a workshop-style maternity-led support service, in one of the military communities, to address some of the support needs uncovered. Some women will complete an additional questionnaire and take part in an interview or focus group, to help us understand whether the additional support was effective.
The project will run for 18 months. We aim to recruit two co-researchers from the military community to help us with collecting our data and understanding our findings.REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/PR/0626
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jul 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion