Promoting maternal mental health: women's strategies for presenting a positive identity and the implications for mental health promotion Available to Purchase

There are many barriers to effective mental health promotion with mothers living in socially disadvantaged communities. These include failure to take account of local cultural knowledge, community values and identities; feelings arising from experiences of poor health and disadvantage; mistrust of health professionals, and lack of engagement with services. Qualitative methodologies were used to explore maternal mental health and service delivery to people living in poor social conditions. Individual interviews and group discussions were undertaken with nine mothers living in a disadvantaged community. Further data were obtained from fieldwork contacts with seven health professionals working in the community. The research identified four discursive strategies used by participants when they and others encountered difficulties in relation to stigma, mental health and their daily lives as mothers within the community. These strategies were othering, counteracting, blaming, and resisting. The analysis offers a resource to community initiatives seeking to examine how mothers can deal most effectively with a lack of control and power in their lives.