Postpartum Depression and Help-Seeking Behaviors In Immigrant Hispanic Women

Objective: Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group living in the United States. Hispanic women have the highest fertility rate of all ethnic/racial groups, comprising 23% of births in the United States. Providing quality healthcare to vulnerable and underserved populations such as Hispanic immigrants is essential. While postpartum depression (PPD) is prevalent among disadvantaged Hispanic women, it is not readily detected by women or their healthcare providers. Barriers to help seeking behaviors and underutilization of mental health services in Hispanics have been identified, but no qualitative descriptive studies were fould about help-seeking in Hispanic immigrant women experiencing symptms of PPD. The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of immigrant Hispanic women having symptoms of PPD and identify barriers to accessing mental health services.

Design: Qualitative descriptive study

Setting: Following IRB approval, audio-taped interviews were conducted in Spanish in the homes of study participants

Patients/Participants: A purpose sample of twenty (n=20) Hispanic immigrant women who scored positive for symptoms of PPD on the Beck Postpartum Depression Screening Scale-Spanish version (PDSS-Spanish) participated in the study

Methods: Interviews were transcribed, translated, and analoyzed as appropriate for qualitative inquiry. Member checks were done with five study participants and field notes kept to ensure data trustworthiness.

Results: Participants identified personal barriers (beliefs about emotional health, perceived stigma of mental illness and hesitancy to seek treatment for symptoms of PPD, cultural beliefs about motherhood and the role of women); social barriers (lack of social support, immigration status, limited English proficiency); and health care delivery barriers (financial and time constraints, lack of childcare and transportation)

Conclusion/Implications for nursing practice: Data will be utilized to facilitate identification of Hispanic immigrant women at risk for PPD, and to design effective interventions for vulnerable women, overcoming barriers to accessing mental healthcare services. Funded by an AWHONN 2010 research grant.

Keywords:  Postpartum depression, immigrant Hispanic women