Perinatal care experiences of immigrant Syrian women: a qualitative phenomenological study

Abstract

Background: Adverse birth outcomes of immigrant women and neonates are associated with the quality of perinatal care. For this reason, examining immigrant women’s experiences of perinatal care is necessary if host country care systems are to respond appropriately to migration. Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the perinatal care experiences of immigrant women. Methods: The qualitative phenomenological design used in the study enabled to make an in-depth exploration of immigrant women’s experiences. The participants were 24 women who had a pregnancy within the past 6 months and lived in Adana, Turkey, between September and December 2019. Data were collected using a semi-structured form through the snowball method. Qualitative data were analysed using the thematic analysis method. Results: The participants’ mean age was 21.41 [standard deviation (SD) 3.86] years. Mean age at first pregnancy was 17.27 (SD 4.59) years. It was determined that immigrant women received insufficient maternity services. In thematic analysis, 4 main themes indicating barriers to sufficient perinatal care were identified. The barriers to maternal care services were: language barrier, cultural incompatibility, decreased social support and inadequate information. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that perinatal care for immigrant women was inadequate and their experiences were generally negative. Although the barriers seem separate, they are actually intertwined, with the language barrier appearing to be the main one. Innovative approaches are needed to solve this problem. Mobile applications that translate instantly can be used by both immigrant women and health care professionals.