PROREF - Mental Health
Project duration: 01/08/2021 - 31/05/2023
Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Theda Borde
Project staff: Razan Al Munjid
Partners:
Abstract:
PROREF - Mental Health is a supplementary project of the sub-project PROREF, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), and belongs to the research group "Refugee Migration to Germany: a magnifying glass for broader public health challenges" (PH-LENS). The research group has set itself the goal of identifying health inequalities, by focusing on the health of refugees, in order to be able to shape a better health system for disadvantaged groups and thereby for all people in Germany.
This supplementary project focuses on the mental health of women with flight experience during pregnancy and after childbirth, as there are hardly any studies that deal with the topic of mental health in the contexts of pregnancy and flight.
Therefore, PROREF - Mental Health will examine how women who are refugees experience their mental health in this phase of their lives, what influence living conditions have on their psychosocial stress and resources, as well as how health care could be tailored to meet the needs of these pregnant women and mothers, ultimately to enhance their mental health. In this research project, a participatory methodological approach will be applied: as pregnant women and mothers with flight experience will be the central focus, their perspective will be included in the planning and implementation of the research process.
To this end, PROREF - Mental Health will interview mothers in three German federal states (Brandenburg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia) on their experiences before, during, and after giving birth. These experiences will be analysed regarding their flight experiences, living conditions, contextual factors (e.g., region of residence, type of accommodation, availability of private and social networks, access to health information), mental health, and, finally, access to and quality of health care services. Lastly, the study results will be discussed and interpreted with the women themselves, and, based on the results, PROREF - Mental Health will develop recommendations for needs-oriented offers, in order to uphold and promote the good mental health of pregnant women and mothers with flight experience.
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Keywords: Refugee Women, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Mental Health, Health Care, PROREF