title: Cultural safety and belonging for refugee background women attending group pregnancy care: An Australian qualitative study.
abstract: Refugee women experience higher incidence of childbirth complications and poor pregnancy outcomes. Resettled refugee women often face multiple barriers accessing pregnancy care and navigating health systems in high income countries.
  
  
  
  A community-based model of group pregnancy care for Karen women from Burma was co-designed by health services in consultation with Karen families in Melbourne, Australia. Focus groups were conducted with women who had participated to explore their experiences of using the program, and whether it had helped them feel prepared for childbirth and going home with a new baby.
  
  
  
  Nineteen women (average time in Australia 4.3 years) participated in two focus groups. Women reported feeling empowered and confident through learning about pregnancy and childbirth in the group setting. The collective sharing of stories in the facilitated environment allowed women to feel prepared, confident and reassured, with the greatest benefits coming from storytelling with peers, and developing trusting relationships with a team of professionals, with whom women were able to communicate in their own language. Women also discussed the pivotal role of the bicultural worker in the multidisciplinary care team. Challenges in the hospital during labor and birth were reported and included lack of professional interpreters and a lack of privacy.
  
  
  
  Group pregnancy care has the potential to increase refugee background women's access to pregnancy care and information, sense of belonging, cultural safety using services, preparation for labor and birth, and care of a newborn.
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Elisha
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riggs
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Sumaiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muyeen
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Child Health, Wyndham City Council, Werribee, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petschel
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Child Health, Wyndham City Council, Werribee, Vic., Australia.|VICSEG New Futures, Coburg, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Waan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tardiff
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Training, State Government of Victoria, East Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Dannielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanpraag
authors.affiliation: Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Brunswick, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szwarc
authors.affiliation: Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia.|General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yelland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003144:Communication Barriers; D054521:Cultural Competency; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D000069576:Health Equity; D006801:Humans; D036801:Parturition / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cultural safety; group pregnancy care; health equity; qualitative; refugee