Health and Mental Health Experiences of Latina Immigrant Women during the Perinatal Period

Background: Over half (51%) of the immigrant population is made up of Latino immigrants coming from Mexico, Central, South America, and the Caribbean. Births among Latina immigrant women in the United States make up the plurality of births among all immigrant women. Most epidemiological research to date has demonstrated that immigrants have better health and mental health outcomes than their native-born counterparts, regardless of the economic barriers they face. However, immigrants’ wellbeing starts to deteriorate as they spend more time in the United States. To date, there are very few qualitative studies aiming to understand how the migration process might bring about unforeseen experiences, which in turn may generate detrimental behaviors among Latina immigrant women, particularly during the perinatal period. In order to address this gap, this study uses data from 30 Latina immigrant mothers to better understand their physical and mental health experiences from pregnancy through the first year postpartum.

Methods: A total of 30 Latina women living in rural and small towns were recruited in 2015 to participate in the study. All women were part of the Women, Infant and Children program. Twenty participants were from Mexico and the rest were either from Central or South America. All the interviews were conducted in Spanish and at a location of the participant’s choice. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed in Spanish using thematic analysis. All relevant quotes were then translated into English.

Results: Latina mothers described their experiences around the perinatal period and the importance of being physically and mentally healthy during this period. The main themes included: 1) satisfying cravings ensures the wellbeing of the baby. 2) breastfeeding was the norm in the country of origin, but not in the host country. 3) postpartum depression is a common but highly stigmatized experience.

Conclusions and implications: Findings from this study indicate that in order to reduce health and mental health inequalities, it is necessary to provide psychoeducational interventions that promote healthy behaviors and increase social capital and peer support. It is also essential to develop informational campaigns in Spanish and other languages to promote healthy behaviors from the country of origin, such as breastfeeding. Finally, it is necessary to make mental health awareness campaigns more accessible to immigrant groups to help destigmatize mental health disorders and to promote mental health access. Future research should aim to continue investigating the experiences and perceptions of immigrant groups to better understand the reasons behind the worsening of health and mental health conditions.