Perinatal mental health in China: views of health system professionals in Shanghai / 《全球健康杂志（英文）》

ABSTRACT

Background:Mental health has recently been receiving a growing amount of attention in mainland China,with mental disorders increasingly being recognized as a major public health concern.However,the treatment gap for mental health care is markedly high in China.Previous research and clinical practice have focused on high-risk physical disorders but overlooked psychosocial factors,especially during the perinatal period.Aims:To explore Chinese professionals' perception and attributions of perinatal mental health in China.Method:The study was conducted in Shanghai,China,in 2018,drawing on interviews with 15 key informants including health professionals,government officials,and policymakers recruited through snowball sampling.Content analysis of the semi-structured interviews was performed.Results:The study yielded insights into the perceptions of perinatal mental health among health professionals in Shanghai.Three themes emerged from the informants' reports:(1) mental health influenced by tradition— describing traditions affecting the perception of mental health at both the societal and individual level;(2) societal changed contributing perinatal mental health problems—referring to a rapidly changing cultural and economic backdrop as a source of stress leading to mental health problems;and (3) existing and required resources— demonstrating a lack of professional training,staff shortages,and inadequacy of resources to provide the required mental health care.Conclusion:Our results provide new insights into key health professionals' perceptions of mental health problems in Shanghai.Hesitation to seek care owing to a lack of knowledge,and resource shortages in health care systems are obstacles to improve mental health among women in urban China.