Student midwives’ awareness, knowledge, and experiences of antenatal anxiety within clinical practice: A mixed-methods study.

Alex McGookin, Christine Furber, Debbie M Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
1300 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: The current study aimed to explore student midwives’ awareness, knowledge, and experiences of supporting women with antenatal anxiety (ANA) within clinical practice.
Background: ANA is associated with negative outcomes for mother and baby. Midwives play a key role in the screening of antenatal mental health and care of women suffering from ANA.
Methods: This study was conducted with student midwives at one UK university in the north-west of England. Twenty-five midwifery students completed a brief online survey informed by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Of these, seven volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews exploring the survey data. The interview topic guide was designed based on the findings of the survey.
Results: Thematic analysis of the seven interviews revealed four overarching themes: Perpetuating factors, Barriers to care, Skills required in role and Suggestions for future directions. Midwives had a varied knowledge and understanding of ANA and expressed a desire to learn more about their role in supporting women with ANA.
Conclusion: Although a small study, the results highlight the need for education to be improved in order to best prepare student midwives for cases of ANA, with emphasis on integrating psychology and mental health information into teaching as well as time spent in clinical practice. Midwives are key in the screening of women for ANA and are in an ideal position to signpost for specialist care.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)380-393
JournalJournal of Reproductive and Sexual Health
Volume35
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antenatal anxiety
  • screening
  • mental health

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