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Cultural Background and Socioeconomic Influence of Immigrant and Refugee Women Coping with Postpartum Depression

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Abstract

Postpartum depression is a serious condition that can have long lasting traumatic effects on women and their families. Until recently postpartum depression research has focused more on the population as a whole rather than refugee and immigrant women. Informed by Kleinman’s explanatory model and the postcolonial feminist perspective, 30 immigrant and refugee women were interviewed to find out what factors influenced them in seeking postpartum care and what strategies would be helpful in prevention and treatment of postpartum depression. We found that the immigrant and refugee women in our sample: (a) were influenced by both cultural background and socioeconomic factors in seeking support and treatment; (b) were influenced by cultural differences and social stigma when making decisions about health care practices; and (c) employed numerous coping strategies to deal with postpartum depression. Recommendations are provided for more culturally appropriate and equitable mental health care services for immigrant and refugee women living in Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Joyce Maureen O’Mahony, Tam Truong Donnelly & Shelley Raffin Bouchal

  2. Department of Community Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Tam Truong Donnelly

  3. Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    David Este

Authors
  1. Joyce Maureen O’Mahony
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  2. Tam Truong Donnelly
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  3. Shelley Raffin Bouchal
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  4. David Este
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Correspondence to Joyce Maureen O’Mahony.

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This research study was carried out as part of the PhD requirements of the first author at the University of Calgary.

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O’Mahony, J.M., Donnelly, T.T., Raffin Bouchal, S. et al. Cultural Background and Socioeconomic Influence of Immigrant and Refugee Women Coping with Postpartum Depression. J Immigrant Minority Health 15, 300–314 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9663-x

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