Working with suicidal mothers during the perinatal period: a reflexive thematic analysis study with mental health professionals

Abstract

Background Suicide is the leading cause of death in mothers postpartum and one of the most common causes of death during pregnancy. Mental health professionals who work in perinatal services can offer insights into the factors they perceive as being linked to mothers’ suicidal ideation and behaviour, support offered to mothers and improvements to current practices. We aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of perinatal mental health professionals who have worked with suicidal mothers during the perinatal period. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face or via telephone with mental health professionals working in perinatal mental health inpatient or community services across England. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results From the professionals’ (n = 15) accounts three main themes were developed from their interview data. The first, factors linked to suicidal ideation and behaviour, overarched two sub-themes: (1.1) the mother’s context and (1.2) what the baby represents and what this means for the mother. These sub-themes described factors that professionals assessed or deemed contributory in relation to suicidal ideation and behaviour when a mother was under their care. The second main theme, communicating about and identifying suicidal ideation and behaviour, which outlined how professionals enquired about, and perceived, different suicidal experiences, encapsulated two sub-themes: (2.1) how to talk about suicide and (2.2) types of suicidal ideation and attempts. The third main theme, reducing suicidal ideation through changing how a mother views her baby and herself, focused on how professionals supported mothers to reframe the ways in which they viewed their babies and in turn themselves to reduce suicidal ideation. Conclusion Professionals highlighted many factors that should be considered when responding to a mother’s risk of suicide during the perinatal period, such as the support around her, whether the pregnancy was planned and what the baby represented for the mother. Professionals’ narratives stressed the importance of adopting a tailored approach to discussing suicidal experiences with mothers to encourage disclosure. Our findings also identified psychological factors that professionals perceived as being linked to suicidal outcomes for mothers, such as self-efficacy; these factors should be investigated further.