PLoS ONE
Volume 14, Issue 2, 2019

Common maternal health problems among Australian-born and migrant women: A prospective cohort study (Article) (Open Access)

Navodani T. , Gartland D. , Brown S.J. , Riggs E. , Yelland J.*
  • a Intergenerational Health Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia, Ministry of Health, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • b Intergenerational Health Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • c Intergenerational Health Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia, Department General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • d Intergenerational Health Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia, Department General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • e Intergenerational Health Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia, Department General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

Abstract

Background Migrant women of non-English speaking background make up an increasing proportion of women giving birth in high income countries, such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of common physical and psychosocial health problems during pregnancy and up to 18 months postpartum among migrant women of non-English speaking background compared to Australian-born women. Methods Prospective pregnancy cohort study of 1507 nulliparous women. Women completed self-administered questionnaires or telephone interviews in early and late pregnancy and at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months postpartum. Standardised instruments were used to assess incontinence, depressive symptoms and intimate partner violence. Findings Migrant women of non-English speaking background (n = 243) and Australian-born mothers (n = 1115) reported a similar pattern of physical health problems during pregnancy and postpartum. The most common physical health problems were: exhaustion, back pain, constipation and urinary incontinence. Around one in six Australian-born women (16.9%) and more than one in four migrant women (22.5%) experienced intimate partner abuse in the first 12 months postpartum. Compared to Australian-born women, migrant women were more likely to report depressive symptoms at 12 and 18 months postpartum. Conclusion Physical and mental health problems are common among women of non-English speaking background and Australian-born women, and frequently persist up to 18 months postpartum. Migrant women experience a higher burden of postpartum depressive symptoms and intimate partner violence, and may face additional challenges accessing appropriate care and support. © 2019 Navodani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

maternal care prospective study Australia backache pregnancy complication complication follow up Pregnancy Complications human clinical feature Prospective Studies urine incontinence Urinary Incontinence psychosocial disorder ethnology Mental Disorders mental disease Surveys and Questionnaires Young Adult Humans migrant psychology Adolescent female questionnaire pregnancy prevalence Article major clinical study partner violence adult migration maternal disease cohort analysis Australian Transients and Migrants disease burden Constipation postnatal depression Depression, Postpartum nullipara Postpartum Period puerperium
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85061355477&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0211685&partnerID=40&md5=d5ff4587aa73841bbc478953150f2471
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211685
ISSN: 19326203
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English