Complications and Healthcare Consumption of Pregnant Women with a Migrant Background: Could There be an Association with Psychological Distress?

Hanna M Heller, Annemijn V R de Vries, Adriaan W Hoogendoorn, Fedde Scheele, Willem J Kop, Christianne J M de Groot, Adriaan Honig, Birit F P Broekman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies reported less prenatal healthcare consumption and more perinatal complications in women with a migrant background. Hence, we investigated in a country with free healthcare access whether women with a migrant background differed with respect to pregnancy complications, healthcare consumption and in terms of associations with psychological distress in comparison to native Dutch.

METHODS: We included 324 native Dutch and 303 women with a migrant background, who visited two hospitals in Amsterdam for antenatal care between 2014 and 2015. Participants completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale, and sociodemographic questions. Complications and healthcare consumption during pregnancy were extracted from medical records. Regression analyses were used with adjustment for covariates.

RESULTS: Except for gestational diabetes [adjusted OR = 3.09; 95% CI = (1.51, 6.32)], no differences were found between groups in perinatal complications [OR = 1.15; 95% CI = (0.80, 1.64)], nor in healthcare consumption [OR = 0.87; 95% CI = (0.63, 1.19)]. Women with a migrant background reported more depressive symptoms [Cohen's d = 0.25; 95% CI = (0.10, 0.41)], even after adjustment for socio-economic factors. Psychological distress was associated with more hospital admissions during pregnancy. When experiencing depressive symptoms, women with a migrant background had an increased risk to be admitted [OR = 1.11; 95% CI = (1.01, 1.21)].

CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: This cohort study found no differences in pregnancy-related complications, except for diabetes, nor different healthcare consumption, in women with a migrant background versus native Dutch, in a country with free health care access. However, women with a migrant background experienced more depressive symptoms, and when depressed their risk for hospital admission increased. Additional research is warranted to improve healthcare for this population.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1613-1621
Number of pages9
JournalMaternal and child health journal
Volume26
Issue number8
Early online date2 Jun 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2022

Keywords

  • Complications
  • Healthcare consumption
  • Migrant
  • Pregnancy
  • Psychological distress

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