Influence of past trauma and health interactions on homeless women’s views of perinatal care: a qualitative study

Background Homeless women are twice as likely to become pregnant and are less likely to receive antenatal care than women who are not homeless. Prevalent biopsychosocial complexity and comorbidities, including substance use and mental illness, increase the risk of obstetric complications, postnatal depression, and child loss to social services.

Aim To explore the perspectives of women who have experienced pregnancy and homelessness to ascertain how to improve perinatal care.

Design and setting A qualitative study with a purposive sample of women who had experienced pregnancy and homelessness, recruited from three community settings.

Method Semi-structured interviews continued to data saturation and were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically using a self-conscious approach, with independent verification of emergent themes.

Results Eleven women, diverse in age (18–40 years) and parity (one to five children), participated. Most women had experienced childhood trauma, grief, mental illness, and substance use. Overarching themes of ‘mistrust‘ and ‘fear of child loss to social services’ (CLSS) influenced their interactions with practitioners. The women experienced stigma from practitioners, and lacked effective support networks. Women who mistrusted practitioners attended appointments but concealed their needs, preventing necessary care. Further themes were being seen to do ‘the best for the baby’; pregnancy-enabled access to necessary holistic biopsychosocial care; and lack of postnatal support for CLSS or parenting.

Conclusion Pregnancy offered a pivotal opportunity for homeless women to engage with care for their complex needs and improve self-care, despite mistrust of practitioners. Poor postnatal support and the distress of CLSS reinforced an ongoing cycle of grief, mental health crises, substance use relapse, and homelessness.