Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr;28(2):219-244.
doi: 10.1007/s00737-024-01552-z. Epub 2025 Mar 5.

Screening instruments for antenatal and postpartum mental health disorders in migrant women: a systematic review

A E H Verschuuren  1 , E Soldati  2 , J Stekelenburg  3   4 , E I Feijen-de Jong  5   6   7   8 , I R Postma  3   4
Affiliations

Screening instruments for antenatal and postpartum mental health disorders in migrant women: a systematic review

A E H Verschuuren et al. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: Maternal mental health disorders are prevalent among migrant women. Due to the association of these disorders with adverse pregnancy outcomes, early recognition, and referral are important. This review aims to provide an overview of the literature on mental health screening for migrant women during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, covering publications before July 15th, 2024. Database searches were supplemented by a grey literature search, which included a systematic Google and Google Scholar search, hand searching of reference lists, and citation searches. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies published in any language were included if they evaluated or validated screening methods for maternal mental health disorders in first-generation migrants. Screening for eligibility, data extraction, and quality appraisal were conducted by two independent researchers. Results were summarized narratively.

Results: Among the 3035 records screened, 30 articles met the inclusion criteria. Our findings indicate that health care providers and migrant women recognize a substantial need for maternal mental health screening, especially for depression, and in a lesser quantity for anxiety and PTSD. We describe a range of barriers and facilitators that impact the quality and feasibility of mental health screening. Research on available screening instruments in migrant populations reports reasonable accuracy, reliability, and validity. However, qualitative evaluations question the screening instruments' cultural appropriateness and translatability.

Conclusions: There is an urgent need for the development and implementation of maternal mental health screening programs tailored to pregnant or postpartum migrants. Further research is essential to enhance the effectiveness and cultural sensitivity of these screening programs.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Maternal mental health screening; Migrants; PTSD; Postpartum; Pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram of inclusion of both initial and update searches
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Barriers and facilitators to antenatal and postpartum mental health screening for migrants. * Although interpreters were considered to facilitate mental health screening, many studies describe considerations and challenges in working with interpreters (see Appendix 3)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Barriers identified by migrant women and health care providers in included studies
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Facilitators identified by migrant women and health care providers in included studies
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abubakar et al (2018) The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: The Health of a World on the Move. The Lancet 392(10164):2606–2654 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alnaji, Struwe, Bagenda (2021) Research Square. [Preprint]. Validation of the Arabic Version of the Refugee Health Screener-13 Among Perinatal Syrian Refugees in Lebanon.
    1. Barnett B, Matthey S, Gyaneshwar R (1999) Screening for Postnatal Depression in Women of Non-English Speaking Background. Arch Women’s Mental Health 2(2):67–74
    1. Blackmore R, Gray KM, Melvin GA, Newman L, Boyle JA, Gibson-Helm M (2022a) Identifying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Women of Refugee Background at a Public Antenatal Clinic. Arch Women’s Mental Health 25(1):191–98 - PubMed
    1. Blackmore R, Gibson-Helm M, Melvin G, Boyle JA, Fazel M, Gray KM (2022b) Validation of a Dari Translation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale among Women of Refugee Background at a Public Antenatal Clinic. Australian New Zealand J Psychiatry 56(5):525–34 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources