Public health nurses’ perinatal mental health training needs: A cross sectional survey

Abstract

Aim To examine public health nurses’ education, training, and professional support needs in perinatal mental health. Background Public health nurses have a key role in supporting maternal mental health including screening, support, referral, and decreasing stigmatization. Design A cross‐sectional survey. Methods Data were collected from a convenience sample of Irish public health nurses (N = 105) from December 2016–February 2018. The anonymous postal survey consisted of the Perinatal Mental Health Questionnaire, Mental Illness: Clinician's Attitudes scale and Perinatal Mental Health Learning Needs questionnaire. Results Public health nurses reported good levels of knowledge (77.2%) and confidence (83.8%) in recognising women experiencing stress, anxiety and depression. They indicated less confidence in caring (50.5%) for women. The average score for the Mental Illness: Clinician's Attitudes scale was 35.9 (SD 5.9), suggesting positive attitudes towards women with significant mental illness. Conclusion Public health nurses require educational opportunities to explore expressions of psychological distress across cultures and their own personal attitudes to mental health, systems of clinical supervision, and support pathways. Impact Generating new knowledge on the importance of incorporating an attitude component in perinatal mental health education for public health nurses.

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder Management in Multicenter Community Practices: Clinicians’ Training, Current Practices and Perceived Strategies to Improve Future Implementation

“…These findings echo previous reports that clinicians lack access to training and resources specific to the management of perinatal mental health concerns. [38][39][40] The importance of providing training and supervision specific to the management of PMAD is beginning to receive more attention and has been identified as a critical step toward improving access to comprehensive care for this patient population. 41 Past studies have noted that many women perceived their clinicians to be inadequate in this area, 42,43 highlighting the importance of implementing routine training in the assessment and treatment of PMAD for improving clinical outcomes.…”

Fostering Collective Approaches in Supporting Perinatal Mental Healthcare Access for Migrant Women: A Participatory Health Research Study

“…Healthcare professionals need to remain vigilant for particular perinatal mental health risk factors among refugee and migrant women and should ensure that appropriate supports and guidance on available services are provided in culturally responsive ways. There is a need for further education and training within this area, as the growing body of evidence reiterates healthcare professionals' lack of knowledge and skills in providing perinatal mental healthcare in general [15,17,18].…”

“…However, there is a dearth of evidence examining the perinatal mental health supports and experiences of migrant women living in Ireland [14]. Like many other countries, there are growing reports highlighting the challenges in providing effective perinatal mental healthcare in Ireland [14][15][16][17][18]. However, these difficulties intensify for women from diverse cultural, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.…”

Current Issues within the Perinatal Mental Health Care System in Aichi Prefecture, Japan: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Survey

“…A survey among public health nurses and women with service experience should also be conducted to evaluate whether the system works effectively. We intend to survey public health nurses, although this has recently been reported in Ireland [22]. Fourth, the system currently seems to change along with these policies in Japan.…”