Höfundar:
Edythe Mangindin, Helga Gottfreðsdóttir, Emma Marie Swift
Introduction
Childbirth experience can affect a woman’s long-term health and well-being. However, there is a lack of research on how migrant status can affect a woman’s childbirth experience. We aimed to answer the following research questions: 1) Is there a difference in childbirth experience between migrant and native-born Icelandic women; and 2) Are migrant women more likely to experience mistreatment in childbirth compared to native-born Icelandic women?
Methods
An online survey was developed including The Childbirth Experience Questionnaire, version 2 to assess a woman’s overall childbirth experience as well as their own capacity to give birth, their perceived safety, the professional support they received and active participation in their own birth. The Mistreatment by Care Providers in Childbirth indicators were used to evaluate mistreatment in childbirth. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were conducted.
Results
A total of 1,395 women completed the survey. The preliminary results show that there is a significant difference in childbirth experience with migrant women reporting lower scores (M 2.86, SD = 0.5) than native-born Icelandic women (M 3.16, SD = 0.68) indicating a more negative childbirth experience. Migrant women were not more likely than native-born women to experience mistreatment in childbirth; however, 26% (n=245) of all participants reported at least one form of mistreatment.
Conclusion
This study sheds light on inequity in Icelandic maternity care. Further research is required to uncover the roots of inequity and make improvements to ensure safety and high-quality care for a diverse population of childbearing women.