ArticleBMC public health2025
Mental health service utilization among pregnant and postpartum women: status, determinants, and insights from a mixed-methods study.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Antenatal Depression Risk and Mental Health Literacy: A Correlational Study Among Second- and Third-Trimester Pregnancies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessment of maternal healthcare utilization and continuum of care among reproductive-age women in Gujarat: a cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Traditional Chinese medicine health literacy and depressive symptoms in postpartum women: the sequential mediating effects of social support and self-efficacy.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Prevalence of anxiety and associated risk factors among maternal and child health hospital female attenders: a cross-sectional multicenter study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exposure to parental depression in childhood and memory trajectories in mid- and later life.PloS one · 2026Article
- A qualitative journey mapping study of prenatal care experiences among rural pregnant women in Northeast China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThere is an increased risk of mental health disorders during pregnancy and postpartum period. However, care-seeking behaviors following positive screenings for maternal mental health disorders are poorly understood. Our study aimed to understand the rate of service utilization and determinants impacting the use of maternal mental health services.
methodsA convergent parallel mixed-method was conducted combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 561 pregnant and postpartum women who were screened positive for mental health issues in two Maternal and Child Health Hospitals in Shanghai, China were included in the quantitative survey. Barriers and facilitators for mental health service utilization were analyzed based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (BMHSU). Individual in-depth interviews with 22 stakeholders including pregnant and postpartum women, their husbands, perinatal and mental health service managers and providers, were conducted to gain further insight into the service utilization behaviors.
resultsThere were 45.5% of participants who did not use any format of maternal mental health services after positive screening for mental health. Factors associated with lower service utilization after positive screening included multipara (OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.18, 3.07, p = 0.01), higher education level (OR = 2.37, 95%CI: 1.16, 4.85, p = 0.02), higher perceived financial pressure (OR = 2.24, 95%CI: 1.12, 4.47, p = 0.02), low spousal support for utilizing mental health services (OR = 3.07, 95%CI: 1.89, 4.98, p<0.001), lack of awareness of community mental health service facilities (OR = 2.84, 95%CI: 1.66, 4.85, p<0.001). The qualitative study identified low awareness of maternal mental health disorders, mental health-related stigma in the public, and flawed maternal mental health systems as significant barriers to service utilization.
conclusionThe utilization of maternal mental health services among pregnant and postpartum women with mental health problems remained suboptimal. Efforts should be made to raise public concerns about maternal mental health. Improving service access and strengthening maternal mental health service quality are critical for increasing the utilization of maternal mental healthcare.
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