Psychosocial disadvantage and residential remoteness is associated with Aboriginal women's mental health prior to childbirth

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Optimal mental health in the pre-conception, pregnancy and postpartum periods is important for both maternal and infant wellbeing. Few studies, however, have focused on Indigenous women and the specific risk and protective factors that may prompt vulnerability to perinatal mental disorders in this culturally diverse population. OBJECTIVES: To assess mental health contacts in the period before childbirth among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, the association with socioeconomic factors and whether it differs by geographic remoteness. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 19,165 Aboriginal mothers and includes all Aboriginal mothers and their chil..