title: Women's mental health during pregnancy: A participatory qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  British public health and academic policy and guidance promotes service user involvement in health care and research, however collaborative research remains underrepresented in literature relating to pregnant women's mental health. The aim of this participatory research was to explore mothers' and professionals' perspectives on the factors that influence pregnant women's mental health.
  
  
  METHODS
  This qualitative research was undertaken in England with the involvement of three community members who had firsthand experience of mental health problems during pregnancy. All members of the team were involved in study design, recruitment, data generation and different stages of thematic analysis. Data were transcribed for individual and group discussions with 17 women who self-identified as experiencing mental health problems during pregnancy and 15 professionals who work with this group. Means of establishing trustworthiness included triangulation, researcher reflexivity, peer debriefing and comprehensive data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant areas of commonality were identified between mothers' and professionals' perspectives on factors that undermine women's mental health during pregnancy and what is needed to support women's mental health. Analysis of data is provided with particular reference to contexts of relational, systemic and ecological conditions in women's lives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women's mental health is predominantly undermined or supported by relational, experiential and material factors. The local context of socio-economic deprivation is a significant influence on women's mental health and service requirements.
authors.affiliation: University of East Anglia, School of Health Sciences, Norwich, UK. Electronic address: wendy.franks1@nhs.net.
authors.forename: Wendy L M
authors.initials: WLM
authors.lastname: Franks
authors.affiliation: University of East Anglia, School of Health Sciences, Norwich, UK. Electronic address: k.crozier@uea.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kenda E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Crozier
authors.affiliation: University of East Anglia, School of Health Sciences, Norwich, UK.
authors.forename: Bridget L M
authors.initials: BLM
authors.lastname: Penhale
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Participatory research; Pregnancy; Qualitative interviews; Socioeconomic deprivation; Women’s mental health