Moving towards inclusion of perinatal mental health in midwifery curriculums in South Africa

Introduction: Perinatal mental health is a global concern amongst the women of childbearing age. The prevalence of perinatal mental health amongst women of childbearing age is linked to the life-changing moments of pregnancy and childbirth. Midwives are primary caregivers in the maternal care context. The midwives’ abilities to successfully diagnose and manage perinatal mental health lie in the academic preparation during midwifery training. The study aims to explore and describe the midwives’ perceptions of perinatal mental health within the midwifery training curricula of South Africa. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, explorative research design was followed. Seventeen purposefully sampled midwives participated in the in-depth, face-to-face semi-structured interviews. A central question followed by probes were asked. Data were analyzed using Collaizi’s descriptive method and the emerging themes were organized into main themes and categories. Results: Three themes emerged. In theme 1, the educational gaps within the midwifery curricula in south Africa. The educational gaps led to the disconnect in application of theory in clinical practice in theme 2. In theme 3, the midwifery curricula seemed to lack interprofessional education and collaboration to expose midwives to mental health. Conclusion: This study highlights gaps in perinatal mental health education within South African midwifery curricula. These gaps contribute to midwives’ inadequate preparation for management of perinatal mental health in clinical practice. The study calls for the curriculum review to integrate perinatal mental health content to capacitate midwives to address the maternal perinatal mental health needs.