Women with Disabilities: Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing ...

WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES: BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO ACCESSING SERVICES DURING PREGNANCY,CHILDBIRTH AND EARLY MOTHERHOODSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College DublinChapter Five: Women with mental health difficulties:barriers and facilitators to accessing services andprofessional help during pregnancy, childbirth andearly motherhood5.1. IntroductionSeeking help from professionals has many layers of difficulty attached. A reviewof the literature suggests that the experiences of mothers with mental healthdifficulties accessing services, during pregnancy, childbirth and earlymotherhood have received little attention in the research and in servicedevelopment, so there is little basis for confidence that their needs, and those oftheir children, are being met. Individual narratives and research on women’sexperiences of mental health difficulties during pregnancy and motherhoodsuggest that there are a number of significant socio-cultural, professional andservice issues that coalesce together, making accessing help and support alarge task for a mother experiencing mental health difficulties.Initial sections of this chapter will present the barriers to accessing services, asidentified from 23 published research papers (Appendix 5, Table 6). In additionto factors under the headings of accessibility, accommodation and acceptability,this group of women were unique in having specific problems with the lack ofavailability and affordability of services also. Finally, facilitators to improveaccess are presented, although it is notable that only 9 of the published papersdiscussed facilitators to access, in addition to highlighting numerous barriers(Appendix 5, Table 7).89