Experience of care for women with perinatal OCD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What are the experiences of maternity care and mental health care for women with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during pregnancy and postpartum? a descriptive study with survey and qualitative interviews
IRAS ID
317220
Contact name
Hollie A L Burton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 10 days
Research summary
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental illness. Atleast 1 in 50 pregnant women have OCD in pregnancy or soon after pregnancy (postpartum). This is more common than the number of people who have OCD in the general population (About 1 in 100 people). Untreated mental illness in pregnancy and postpartum can lead to serious, long-lasting effects for both mother and baby. From a review we completed in 2021 it is clear that little research has been done to understand how women with OCD experience mental health care or maternity care during pregnancy or postpartum. From the little evidence that exists and from women with lived experience we know that there are barriers to care. It is vital that we have better information on the experiences of health care so that we can better understand what improvements are needed. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the experiences of mental health care and maternity care for women with obsessive compulsive disorder during pregnancy and up to a year after birth.
First, we will recruit women with OCD who have given birth within the past two years to take part in a short survey through OCD charities, maternal mental health charities and social media channels, as well as through the NHS. In this survey participants will be asked about their maternity care experiences. This survey will also allow us to identify women who would be willing to be approached to take part in an in-depth interview. We will aim to interview 25-30 women from the survey pool about their experiences of mental health care and maternity care during their pregnancy and postpartum using a semi-structured questionnaire.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
24/ES/0027
Date of REC Opinion
21 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion