Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37296421›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2023

Women's experience of perinatal support in a high migrant Australian population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study.

Sarah J Melov, Nelma Galas, Julie Swain, Thushari I Alahakoon, Vincent Lee, N Wah Cheung, Therese McGee, Dharmintra Pasupathy, Justin McNab

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
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  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sarah J MelovReproduction and Perinatal Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Sarah.melov@Sydney.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7569-1016
Nelma GalasWomen's and Newborn Health, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Julie SwainWomen's and Newborn Health, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Thushari I AlahakoonWestmead Institute for Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Research and Education Building, Crn Hawkesbury and Darcy Rd, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia.
Vincent LeeFaculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
N Wah CheungWestmead Applied Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Therese McGeeWomen's and Newborn Health, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Dharmintra Pasupathy *Reproduction and Perinatal Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Justin McNab *Reproduction and Perinatal Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs a COVID-19 risk mitigation measure, Australia closed its international borders for two years with significant socioeconomic disruption including impacting approximately 30% of the Australian population who are migrants. Migrant populations during the peripartum often rely on overseas relatives visiting for social support. High quality social support is known to lead to improved health outcomes with disruption to support a recognised health risk.

aimTo explore women's experience of peripartum social support during the COVID-19 pandemic in a high migrant population. To quantify type and frequency of support to identify characteristics of vulnerable perinatal populations for future pandemic preparedness.

methodsA mixed methods study with semi-structured interviews and a quantitative survey was conducted from October 2020 to April 2021. A thematic approach was used for analysis.

resultsThere were 24 participants interviewed both antenatally and postnatally (22 antenatal; 18 postnatal). Fourteen women were migrants and 10 Australian born. Main themes included; 'Significant disruption and loss of peripartum support during the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing impact for migrant women'; 'Husbands/partners filling the support gap' and 'Holding on by a virtual thread'. Half of the participants felt unsupported antenatally. For Australian born women, this dissipated postnatally, but migrants continued to feel unsupported. Migrant women discussed partners stepped into traditional roles and duties of absent mothers and mothers-in-law who were only available virtually.

conclusionThis study identified disrupted social support for migrant women during the pandemic, providing further evidence that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted migrant populations. However, the benefits identified in this study included high use of virtual support, which could be leveraged for improving clinical care in the present and in future pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted most women's peripartum social support with migrant families having ongoing disruption. Gains in the pandemic included greater gender equity for domestic work as husbands/partners increased their contribution to domestic work and childcare.

Indexed as

COVID-19Transients and MigrantsAustraliaFemaleHumansMothersPandemicsPregnancyAntenatal CareCOVID-19Gender equityMaternity careMigrantsPandemicsPostpartumSocial Support

Identifiers

PMID37296421
PMCPMC10250860

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.