Supporting multicultural families

The perinatal period can be both exciting and challenging for families. Gidget Foundation Australia (GFA) recognises that families from culturally diverse backgrounds may face additional difficulties as they adjust to a new culture, language, and healthcare system.

Refugees and those people from migrant backgrounds can often experience more significant mental health difficulties than the general population (Giallo et al., 2017). Factors such as reduced social support, financial stressors, and difficulty communicating due to language barriers may understandably increase feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression (Anderson et al., 2017). It is important that healthcare providers and the community at large are aware of potential stressors for our refugee and migrant population, at each step of the parenting journey.

Expectant and new parents of multicultural, migrant, and refugee backgrounds may face these key challenges:

Communication: Language barriers and the culturally specific ways we define an experience or feeling can limit access to healthcare and appropriate services to support their family when expecting a baby, or dealing with a perinatal loss, for example.

Culturally safe care: Health care settings are not always resourced to make time or consideration to understand a family’s traditions and cultural practices during pregnancy, birth and parenting. If a space is not culturally safe and inclusive it can bring significant distress to a parent.

Connection: Families may have limited social networks and support systems, especially if they are recent migrants.

Understanding the system: The healthcare system often feels unfamiliar and there may not always be consideration of culturally appropriate care delivery.

Isolation: It may feel more difficult to cope with stress or manage your feelings when you are disconnected from familiar supports and customs.

At GFA, we reflect on the importance of collaborative care for all expectant and new parents. For families from culturally diverse backgrounds, it can be helpful to engage with culturally informed community support and services, such as multicultural societies, community playgroups, or faith-based groups. These services help address the barriers, stressors and other factors contributing to their parenting challenges, alongside connecting with specific mental health support, where needed.

GFA can provide mental health and emotional wellbeing support for new and expectant parents from all backgrounds. Where required we will engage an interpreting service, so that feeling understood and supported is more possible. Your GP is also an important source of support, information, and healthcare referral and can be a useful place to start when you are struggling.

Additional services that can assist include:

Transcultural Mental Health Centre (NSW): supports positive mental health for people from culturally and linguistically diverse populations, 1800 648 911

Multicultural Australia: advocacy and support for multicultural peoples, 07 3337 5400

Translation and Interpreting Service (TIS National): free interpreting service for people who do not speak English, 131 450

Witness to War Multilingual Hotline: a free hotline for people living in Australia and impacted by overseas conflict, 1800 845 198

References:

Anderson, F.M., Hatch, S.L., Comacchio, C. et al. Prevalence and risk of mental disorders in the perinatal period among migrant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Womens Ment Health 20, 449–462 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-017-0723-z

Giallo R, Riggs E, Lynch C, et al The physical and mental health problems of refugee and migrant fathers: findings from an Australian population-based study of children and their families. BMJ Open 2017;7:e015603. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015603