Psychosocial Resilience and Risk in the Perinatal Period

Bringing together experts in the field, this important book considers the underlying risk factors that create situations of psychosocial vulnerability and marginalisation for mothers, from their baby's conception up to a year after birth. Adopting a strengths-based approach, the book looks not only at the incidence and impact of disadvantageous circumstances on women but also explores protective factors at an individual, family, community and service level. It identifies promising evidence-based interventions and sources of resilience.
With a distinctive focus on social and cultural diversity, Psychosocial Resilience and Risk in the Perinatal Period considers a wide range of personal circumstances and social groups, including women's experiences of traumatic birth, domestic and family violence, drug and alcohol use and mothering by indigenous, same-sex and disabled women. Throughout, case studies and service user experiences are used to illuminate the issues and illustrate exemplary care practice.
International in scope, this book is particularly strong on the implications for care practices and health service delivery within Western models of maternity care. Its applied focus and evidence base makes it eminently suitable for study purposes and professional reference. Of relevance to midwives, health visitors and other health and social care practitioners, Psychosocial Resilience and Risk in the Perinatal Period's final chapters focus on developing resilience amongst professionals and multiprofessional and interagency working.

Gill Thomson is Senior Research Fellow at the Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit, University of Central Lancashire, UK. Virginia Schmied is Professor of Midwifery in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Western Sydney University, Australia, and co-leads the Mother Infant and Family Health (MIFam) Research Network.

Foreword by Soo Downe 1. Introducing the s and focus Virginia Schmied and Gill Thomson 2. Women with a diagnosed mental health problem Julie Jomeen, Susan E. Fleming and Colin R. Martin 3. Asylum seekers and refugees. A cross European perspective Marie-Clare Balaam, Mel Cooper, Dineke Korfker and Charles Savona-Ventura 4. Working with Indigenous families Donna Hartz and Leona McGrath 5. Lesbian women becoming mothers Brenda Hayman 6. Women with a disability, transition to motherhood and the self Denise Lawler 7. Domestic and family violence Angela Taft and Leesa Hooker 8. Maternal substance use in the perinatal period Lucinda Burns, Victoria Coleman-Cowger and Courtney Breen 9. Women who are incarcerated Cathrine Fowler and Chris Rossiter 10. Giving birth earlier than expected. Mothers whose new-born requires neonatal intensive care Nancy Feeley 11. The ripple effects of a traumatic birth. Risk, impact and implications for practice Gill Thomson, Cheryl Beck and Susan Ayers 12. Reproductive loss and grief Hannah Dahlen 13. Resilience and sustainability amongst maternity care providers By Susan Crowther 14. Interprofessional collaboration. A crucial component of support for women and families in the perinatal period Kim Psaila and Virginia Schmied 15. Drawing the threads together Gill Thomson and Virginia Schmied