College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2024 Jul;33(7):956-965. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2023.0464. Epub 2024 Mar 26.
Mental health and substance use disorders in pregnant and postpartum people (PPP) are common, and most will not receive adequate treatment. In addition, Black PPP experience higher rates of mental health conditions and are less likely to receive treatment compared with White PPP. Yet, our understanding of the experience of Black PPP with respect to these conditions is limited. The goal of this study was to better understand these experiences with respect to mental health, substance use, and barriers to treatment. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 68 Black PPP who were pregnant or had been pregnant in the last 24 months to gain an understanding of mental health and substance use screening and treatment during the peripartum and postpartum period. Interview data were analyzed with qualitative software, using a qualitative content analysis method, informed by grounded theory. Four main themes were identified: (1) personal beliefs and views about mental health and substance use, (2) family and community beliefs about mental health and substance use, (3) personal experience with mental health and substance use, and (4) comfort in talking to others about mental health and substance use. Subthemes evolved within each of the four themes. Black PPP indicated that maternal mental health and substance use disorders are common in the Black community, but negative stigma related to these conditions often prevents PPP from talking about these conditions or seeking support or treatment despite believing that support and treatment can be beneficial. Clinical practice initiatives within this population can focus on advanced training for providers to more clearly understand personal experiences and related stigma related to mental health and substance use disorders, with the goal of supporting Black PPP mental health needs.
孕产妇的心理健康和物质使用障碍较为常见，但大多数人都无法得到充分的治疗。此外，与白人孕产妇相比，黑人孕产妇的心理健康问题更为严重，接受治疗的可能性也较低。然而，我们对黑人孕产妇在这些问题上的体验的了解是有限的。本研究的目的是更好地了解她们在心理健康、物质使用以及治疗障碍方面的体验。
我们对 68 名怀孕或在过去 24 个月内怀孕的黑人孕产妇进行了半结构化访谈，以了解围产期和产后期间的心理健康和物质使用筛查以及治疗情况。使用定性软件对访谈数据进行了分析，采用了扎根理论指导的定性内容分析方法。
（1）个人对心理健康和物质使用的信念和看法；（2）家庭和社区对心理健康和物质使用的信念；（3）个人的心理健康和物质使用经历；（4）与他人谈论心理健康和物质使用的舒适度。每个主题下都有子主题。黑人孕产妇表示，孕产妇心理健康和物质使用障碍在黑人社区很常见，但与这些疾病相关的负面污名常常使孕产妇无法谈论这些疾病或寻求支持或治疗，尽管她们相信支持和治疗是有益的。
针对这一人群的临床实践可以侧重于为提供者提供更深入的培训，以更清楚地了解与心理健康和物质使用障碍相关的个人经历和相关污名，从而满足黑人孕产妇的心理健康需求。
