Perspectives of the health workers about post natal depression in british south asian mothers: A qualitative study

Objective / Background British South Asian mothers are deemed as a 'hard to reach' group because of their psychosocial problems, language and cultural barriers. The aim of this study was to gather views of health professionals about barriers in engagement, while working with British South Asian mother's suffering from post natal depression (PND), in addition to how these barriers could be addressed from a health professional's perspective. Methods Three focus groups were held with health visitors, General Practitioners (GP's), psychological well being practitioners, workers from the voluntary sector and clinical psychologists. Data was transcribed verbatim and analysed using a framework analysis. This qualitative study was part of an exploratory Randomized Control Trial Of a group Psychological Intervention for treatment of Post natal Depression in British mothers of South Asian origin. (ROSHNI- D). Ethical approval was granted from the National Research Ethics Service reference numberREC10/H1005/62. Protocol registered onClinicaltrials.gov NCT01838889. Results There were several 'patient related factors' and 'service related factors' identified as barriers to engagement. The patient related factors suggested were language barrier, trust issues, extended family involvement, lack of education and stigma around mental illness. Service related factors included lack of access to appropriate services, quality of GP support, impact of financial cuts and lack of cultural awareness in health professionals. Several possible solutions to these barriers were identified. Conclusion / Discussion Barriers to engagement with the British South Asian mothers suffering from postnatal depression pose a significant challenge to health professionals in the UK. More needs to be done to overcome these barriers at a practical level.