The relationship between rurality and psychological well-being in the perinatal period for hospitalised high risk women

Funding: CSO project no. CZH/4/414

Investigators: Janet Tucker, Jane Farmer, Norman Smith, Ann Fitzmaurice, Tracy Humphrey, Rachael Powell.

Summary

Our previous qualitative findings indicate that women’s experiences of maternity care are related to their psychological well-being.1 Rural women with complications (“high risk” women delivering in large referral units) reported the detrimental impact of travel time and separation from their families. This study aims to test if, taking account of casemix and demographic characteristics, women from remote and remote-rural settings who deliver in a tertiary centre have poorer measures of perinatal psychological well-being compared with urban women. The study will help identify groups of women with poorer psychological states during the perinatal period. It will test social support as a mediating factor and better inform future service development.

Pilot Study Executive Summary:
1. Tucker J, Farmer J, Bryers H et al (2006) Executive summary. Sustainable Maternity Services in Remote and Rural Scotland: implementation and evaluation of maternity care models.