Psychological assessment among immigrant and Spanish women during the postpartum period in Spain

Abstract

Immigration is in itself a complex situation, but when it is accompanied by pregnancy and childbirth, it can become even morecomplicated. The objective of this research study was to ascertain whether there were differences in the main socio-demographic, obstetric, perinatal, and psychological variables in immigrant women and native-born women in Spain during and immediately after pregnancy. For this purpose, 103 female subjects (53 immigrants and 50 Spaniards) were obstetrically and psychologically evaluated 48 hours after childbirth. Although in both groups, similar results were obtained for the obstetric and perinatal variables, significant differences were found in the psychological variables. For example, the female immigrants had higher scores for the dimensions or subscales obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. Significant differences were also found in the global severity index of the SCL-90. Accordingly, the sample of female immigrants had higher levels of psychological disorder in the postpartum period immediately after childbirth. Consequently, they required more psychological and emotional support from their families as well as from health care facilities.