Experiences of Perinatal Mental Illness in African Migrant Women in UK

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Perinatal Mental Illness in the United Kingdom: A Phenomenological Study on the lived Experiences of the Migrant Women from North and Sub-Saharan Africa who have suffered from Perinatal Mental Illness and Used Perinatal Mental Health Services in the United Kingdom.

• IRAS ID

  274817

• Contact name

  Gordon Weller

• Contact email

  g.weller@mdx.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Middlesex University

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  N/A, N/A

• Duration of Study in the UK

  4 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  What are the lived experiences of perinatal mental illness of migrant women from North and Sub-Saharan Africa living in the United Kingdom?
  This qualitative (phenomenological) study aims to investigate the experiences of perinatal mental illness in women who have migrated from North and Sub-Saharan Africa to the United Kingdom for the past ten years, have suffered from perinatal mental illness at perinatal periods and are well after receiving treatments from the United Kingdom's perinatal mental health services (inpatient or community services) within five years. This study will involve those migrant women who will be willing to participate and will have been discharged from the perinatal mental health services.
  I will use unstructured interview method to collect data within 12 months after receiving ethical approval in order to investigate the migrant women’s lived experiences.
  Literature shows that majority of these migrant women are reluctant to voluntarily access perinatal mental health services when they experience perinatal mental illness. Delay to reach them leads to their mental health deteriorating further to the extent of requiring compulsory detention order in order to receive treatment. As a result the migrant women from North and Sub-Saharan Africa with perinatal mental illness are eight times more likely to be hospitalised under Mental Health Act (1983) or Social Services Order than western women. Also these migrant women’s duration of hospital stay is longer than usual six to eight weeks, which increases cost to NHS. This study will investigate the migrant women’s journey when they used the United Kingdom’s perinatal mental health services which may help to identify barriers to access these services and receive treatment on voluntary basis.
  Findings will help to educate vulnerable migrant women,health service providers,and the public by providing guidance on inclusive perinatal mental health services

• REC name

  North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  20/NW/0319

• Date of REC Opinion

  15 Oct 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion