‘Having a Quiet Word’: Yarning with Aboriginal Women in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia about Mental Health and Mental Health Screening during the Perinatal Period

Emma Carlin, David Atkinson and Julia V Marley
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Emma Carlin: The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia, The University of Western Australia, Broome, WA 6725, Australia
David Atkinson: The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia, The University of Western Australia, Broome, WA 6725, Australia
Julia V Marley: The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia, The University of Western Australia, Broome, WA 6725, Australia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-11

Abstract: Despite high rates of perinatal depression and anxiety, little is known about how Aboriginal women in Australia experience these disorders and the acceptability of current clinical screening tools. In a 2014 study, the Kimberley Mum’s Mood Scale (KMMS) was validated as an acceptable perinatal depression and anxiety screening tool for Aboriginal women in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. In the current study, we explored if it was appropriate to trial and validate the KMMS with Aboriginal women in the Pilbara. Yarning as a methodology was used to guide interviews with 15 Aboriginal women in the Pilbara who had received maternal and child health care within the last three years. Data were analysed thematically, the results revealing that this cohort of participants shared similar experiences of stress and hardship during the perinatal period. Participants valued the KMMS for its narrative-based approach to screening that explored the individual’s risk and protective factors. While support for the KMMS was apparent, particular qualities of the administering health care professional were viewed as critical to the tool being well received and culturally safe. Building on these findings, we will work with our partner health services in the Pilbara to validate the KMMS with Pilbara Aboriginal women.

Keywords: Aboriginal; indigenous; perinatal depression and anxiety; screening; clinical care; qualitative research; perinatal mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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