ReviewBMJ open2023
Meta-review of the barriers and facilitators to women accessing perinatal mental healthcare.
Review in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Women's Experiences of Screening and Assessment of Mental Health Problems in the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2026Pooled it
- Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Perinatal Mood, Anxiety, and Related Disorders: Guide de pratique 2024 du Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments pour le traitement des troubles de l'humeur, des troubles anxieux et des troubles connexes périnatals.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2025Guideline
- Can Social Work Interventions Improve Perinatal Mental Health Outcomes? A Systematic Review.Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's HealthPooled it
- Dialectical behavior therapy skills training for African American pregnant women with ACEs: a pilot study of feasibility, acceptability, and mental health barriers and attitudes.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Trial
- Early psycho-social support of pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia and fetal intrauterine growth restriction.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Mobile Intervention for Improving Perinatal Mental Health and Reducing Depression During Pregnancy: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Perinatal depressive symptoms and received support from health professionals: results from the national FinChildren survey.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- More expansive state supplemental nutrition assistance program eligibility, intimate partner violence, and mental health during the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum periods.SSM - population health · 2026Article
- Perinatal Depression and Infant Mortality.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Antenatal Depression Risk and Mental Health Literacy: A Correlational Study Among Second- and Third-Trimester Pregnancies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The application of chatbots in perinatal mental health interventions: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Patient outcomes following positive depression screening in a postpartum clinic: A single center retrospective cohort study.Medical research archives · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators for optimal perinatal primary care in low-risk pregnancies: an interview study with parents and healthcare professionals.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Perceived Everyday Discrimination and Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Depression: A Longitudinal Study of Asian Canadians.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Provider Perceptions of Perinatal Mental Healthcare Access.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2026Article
- Women' and midwives' experiences of perinatal mental health care: A qualitative study.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Article
- Perinatal trajectories of help-seeking stigma and correlates: a prospective cohort study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Who is screened for perinatal mental health? findings from an academic health system in California.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- Identification, Prevention, and Treatment of Perinatal Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Narrative Review.Biological psychiatry · 2026Review
- Psychological health experiences and help-seeking barriers: a qualitative study of Chinese new fathers within 12 months postpartum.BMC public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Perinatal mental health (PMH) problems are common and can have an adverse impact on women and their families. However, research suggests that a substantial proportion of women with PMH problems do not access care.
objectivesTo synthesise the results from previous systematic reviews of barriers and facilitators to women to seeking help, accessing help, and engaging in PMH care, and to suggest recommendations for clinical practice and policy.
designA meta-review of systematic reviews. REVIEW
methodsSeven databases were searched and reviewed using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses search strategy. Studies that focused on the views of women seeking help and accessing PMH care were included. Data were analysed using thematic synthesis. Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews-2 was used to assess review methodology. To improve validity of results, a qualitative sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess whether themes remained consistent across all reviews, regardless of their quality rating.
resultsA total of 32 reviews were included. A wide range of barriers and facilitators to women accessing PMH care were identified. These mapped across a multilevel model of influential factors (individual, healthcare professional, interpersonal, organisational, political and societal) and across the care pathway (from decision to consult to receiving care). Evidence-based recommendations to support the design and delivery of PMH care were produced based on identified barriers and facilitators.
conclusionThe identified barriers and facilitators point to a complex interplay of many factors, highlighting the need for an international effort to increase awareness of PMH problems, reduce mental health stigma, and provide woman-centred, flexible care, delivered by well trained and culturally sensitive primary care, maternity, and psychiatric health professionals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019142854.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.