Recruitment Strategies Used in a Survey of African Immigrant Maternal Mental Health in Alberta, Canada

Nwoke, Chinenye Nmanma; Awosoga, Olu; Leung, Brenda

doi:10.1007/s40615-021-01078-5

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2020 in Alberta, Canada. Detailed recruitment strategies for this study are given elsewhere [ 35 ]. We recruited 120 African immigrant mothers aged ≥18 years, with infants aged ≤2 years.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

African Immigrant Mothers’ Views of Perinatal Mental Health and Acceptability of Perinatal Mental Health Screening: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey Study

Nwoke¹,

Awosoga²,

McDonald³

et al. 2023

JMIR Form Res

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Background Mental health disorders are the most common perinatal conditions. They affect mothers, babies, partners, and support networks. However, <15% of pregnant and postpartum women seek timely help for their mental health care. Low perinatal mental health knowledge and universal screening unacceptability are cited as important deterrents to obtaining timely mental health care. Objective The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was 2-fold: (1) to determine African immigrant mothers’ views of perinatal mental health and to identify predictors of those views and (2) to identify African immigrant mothers’ views regarding perinatal mental health screening and to determine factors associated with those views. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a convenience sample of African immigrant women from the province of Alberta, Canada. Respondents were eligible to participate if they were aged ≥18 years, had a live birth, and the infant was aged ≤2 years. Questions were drawn from the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, and additional questions were developed using the Alberta Maternal Mental Health 2012 survey as a guide and tested to reflect the immigrant context. Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses were conducted. Results Among the 120 respondents, 46.5% (53/114) were aged 31-35 years, 76.1% (89/117) were employed or on maternity leave, 92.5% (111/120) were married, and 55.6% (65/117) had younger infants aged 0 to 12 months. Significantly more respondents had higher levels of knowledge of postnatal (109/115, 94.8%) than prenatal (57/110, 51.2%) mental health (P<.001). Only 25.4% (28/110) of the respondents accurately identified that prenatal anxiety or depression could negatively impact child development. Personal knowledge of postpartum anxiety and depression was a significant predictor of prenatal and postnatal mental health knowledge. Most respondents strongly agreed or agreed that all women should be screened in the prenatal (82/109, 75.2%) and postnatal (91/110, 82.7%) periods. Respondents reported that their partner would be their first choice when seeking help and support. The acceptability of postnatal screening was a significant predictor of prenatal mental health knowledge (P<.001), whereas the acceptability of prenatal screening was a significant predictor of postnatal mental health knowledge (P=.03). Prenatal mental health knowledge was a significant predictor of both prenatal (P<.001) and postnatal (P=.001) screening acceptability. Conclusions Although African mothers’ knowledge of postnatal mental health is high, their prenatal mental health knowledge and its influence on child development are limited. Perinatal mental health interventions for African immigrant mothers in Alberta should target these knowledge gaps. The high acceptability of universal perinatal mental health screening among African mothers provides a promising strategy for perinatal mental health literacy initiatives to achieve optimal perinatal mental health.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

African Immigrant Mothers’ Views of Perinatal Mental Health and Acceptability of Perinatal Mental Health Screening: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey Study

Nwoke¹,

Awosoga²,

McDonald³

et al. 2023

JMIR Form Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In both instances, informed consent was obtained prior to accessing the questionnaire. Detailed recruitment strategies for this study are given elsewhere [ 14 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Maternal Depression and Anxiety Among African Immigrant Women in Alberta, Canada: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey Study

Nwoke¹,

Awosoga²,

McDonald³

et al. 2023

JMIR Form Res

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Background Although there is a significant body of evidence on maternal mental health, an inadequate focus has been placed on African immigrant women. This is a significant limitation given the rapidly changing demographics in Canada. The prevalence of maternal depression and anxiety among African immigrant women in Alberta and Canada, as well as the associated risk factors, are not well understood and remain largely unknown. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of maternal depression and anxiety among African immigrant women living in Alberta, Canada up to 2 years postpartum. Methods This cross-sectional study surveyed 120 African immigrant women within 2 years of delivery in Alberta, Canada from January 2020 to December 2020. The English version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-10 (EPDS-10), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, and a structured questionnaire regarding associated factors were administered to all participants. A cutoff score of 13 on the EPDS-10 was indicative of depression, while a cutoff score of 10 on the GAD-7 scale was indicative of anxiety. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the factors significantly associated with maternal depression and anxiety. Results Among the 120 African immigrant women, 27.5% (33/120) met the EPDS-10 cutoff score for depression and 12.1% (14/116) met the GAD-7 cutoff score for anxiety. The majority of respondents with maternal depression were younger (18/33, 56%), had a total household income of CAD $60,000 or more (US $45,000 or more; 21/32, 66%), rented their homes (24/33, 73%), had an advanced degree (19/33, 58%), were married (26/31, 84%), were recent immigrants (19/30, 63%), had friends in the city (21/31, 68%), had a weak sense of belonging in the local community (26/31, 84%), were satisfied with their settlement process (17/28, 61%), and had access to a regular medical doctor (20/29, 69%). In addition, the majority of respondents with maternal anxiety were nonrecent immigrants (9/14, 64%), had friends in the city (8/13, 62%), had a weak sense of belonging in the local community (12/13, 92%), and had access to a regular medical doctor (7/12, 58%). The multivariable logistic regression model identified demographic and social factors significantly associated with maternal depression (maternal age, working status, presence of friends in the city, and access to a regular medical doctor) and maternal anxiety (access to a regular medical doctor and sense of belonging in the local community). Conclusions Social support and community belonging initiatives may improve the maternal mental health outcomes of African immigrant women. Given the complexities immigrant women face, more research is needed on a comprehensive approach for public health and preventive strategies regarding maternal mental health after migration, including increasing access to family doctors.

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“…Dementia research with communities such as African immigrants is limited because historically these communities have faced many social and cultural barriers to their participation and inclusion in research [ 34 ]. African immigrants reported that the following challenges limited participation in research: fear or stigma surrounding mental health or cancer [ 35 , 36 , 37 ], uncertainty/fear surrounding how data will be used [ 37 , 38 , 39 ], lack of time [ 39 ], and differential beliefs/perceptions about diseases [ 38 ]. Nevertheless, in a small sample (N = 34) of African immigrants, 91% reported a somewhat/very favorable attitude toward medical research and that medical research is important towards improving health outcomes [ 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Immigrant Memory Collaborative: A Community–University Partnership to Assess African Immigrant Families’ Experiences with Dementia

Nkimbeng

Rosebush

Akosah

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Research suggests a disparity in the prevalence of dementia, with Black older adults having double the risk compared to their White counterparts. African immigrants are a fast-growing segment of the U.S. Black population, but the dementia care needs and resources of this population are not fully understood. In this paper, we describe the process of working collaboratively with a community partner and project advisory board to conduct a culturally informed project. Specifically, we describe the process of developing culturally informed instruments to collect data on dementia care needs and resources among African immigrants. Working together with a diverse project advisory board, a guide was developed and used to conduct community conversations about experiences with dementia/memory loss. Transcripts from six conversations with 24 total participants were transcribed and analyzed thematically by two independent coders in Nvivo. These qualitative findings were used to inform the development of a survey for quantitative data collection that is currently ongoing. Themes (e.g., cultural attitudes, challenges, and current resources) from the community conversations that informed the survey are described briefly. Despite the challenges of conducting research during a global pandemic, having trusting relationships with a partnering community organization and project advisory board facilitated the successful development of instruments to conduct preliminary dementia care research in an underserved population. We anticipate that survey results will inform interventions that increase education, outreach, and access to dementia care and caregiving resources for this population. It may serve as a model for community–university partnerships for similar public health efforts in dementia as well as other chronic disease contexts.

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Recruitment Strategies Used in a Survey of African Immigrant Maternal Mental Health in Alberta, Canada

Cited by 6 publications

References 18 publications

African Immigrant Mothers’ Views of Perinatal Mental Health and Acceptability of Perinatal Mental Health Screening: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey Study

African Immigrant Mothers’ Views of Perinatal Mental Health and Acceptability of Perinatal Mental Health Screening: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey Study

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Maternal Depression and Anxiety Among African Immigrant Women in Alberta, Canada: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey Study

The Immigrant Memory Collaborative: A Community–University Partnership to Assess African Immigrant Families’ Experiences with Dementia

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