Top 5 Reasons Maternal Mental Health is Crucial in the South Asian Community
At the core of every South Asian community, mothers are cherished as the foundation of the whole family. In spite of that, behind the laughter and courage, most South Asian women quietly endure maternal mental health disorders. As societal norms get on and cultural expectations increase, these problems often eschew attention—unexpressed and unprocessed.
To comprehend and communicate maternal mental health is not just a personal issue but a crucial matter for the whole society. Let’s discover the top five reasons why advocating the mental health of mothers is important for nourishing healthier families and powerful communities.
1. High Rates of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
Postpartum depression (PPD) as well as anxiety are prevailing mental health problems influencing mothers universally. However, previous studies indicated that as compared to Western societies, South Asian mothers encounter more incidences of postpartum depression and anxiety.
The studies of Canada and the United Kingdom, for example, discover that South Asian women are markedly more likely to experience postpartum depression and anxiety.
Factors Contributing to Increased Vulnerability
Various factors are involved in the increased vulnerability of South Asian mothers to anxiety and postpartum depression:
Migration Stress:
Migration is an important stressor for South Asian mothers who are living in diaspora societies. They feel isolated and experience cultural dissonance due to the challenges of leaving behind a strong social network, trying to adjust themselves in new societal norms, as well as confronting potential language barriers.
Cultural Pressures:
To conform to an ideal role, South Asian mothers usually face huge pressure. Society expects them to be resilient, nourishing, and self-sacrificing. It usually happens with the loss of their psychological well-being. If they strive with the physical as well as emotional challenges of maternity, it ultimately results in a sense of failure or inadequacy.
Lack of Social Support:
Conventionally, South Asian cultures focus on the significance of joint family systems. While living in joint family systems, the extended family members give support during their periods of pregnancy and postpartum. Nonetheless, due to transformations to migration and nuclear family systems, without the social networks they are acclimatized to, many mothers feel themselves as being isolated, resulting in feelings of anxiety and loneliness.
Significance of Initial Detection and Intervention
While discussing anxiety and postpartum depression, initial identification and timely intervention are crucial among South Asian mothers. Unattended and untreated maternal psychological health can result in severe repercussions, involving anxiety disorders, prolonged depression, compromised mother-child interaction, and adverse effects on the development of a child.
Mental as well as physical health providers should be equipped to detect postpartum depression regularly. They can be educated to utilize culturally sensitive tools that regard the distinctive circumstances of South Asian mothers.
In South Asian communities, awareness campaigns can help in advocating the understanding of maternal mental health and alleviating the stigma. It can help in encouraging mothers to seek mental aid without the fear of being judged.
2. Impact of Conventional Gender Roles and Expectations
In South Asian cultures, the lives of women, most importantly mothers, have been affected a lot due to conventional gender roles and expectations. Social norms and values define the identity of a woman in marriage, family, and motherhood. So, the roles of women are entrenched in those constrained and conformist societal norms.
Tension to Comply with Social Norms
The pressure and anxiety to comply with conventional gender roles usually influence the mental health of South Asian mothers adversely. Often mothers feel pressured to perform as ideal perfect mothers while neglecting their well-being, they strive to meet the expectations of others while repressing their own basic needs. If they fail to meet the ideal standards of motherhood, this can result in feeling ashamed, selfish and guilty.
Significance of Reconsidering Gender Roles
It is important to reconsider and confront the conventional gender roles to advocate improved maternal mental health. It is essential to promote an unprejudiced division of caregiving as well as household obligations.
All the members of the family including in-laws, husbands, and other children, should play their part actively in home chores and child-rearing. While re-evaluating gender expectations, it is also important to advocate open discussions about psychological problems faced by mothers while breaking conventional stereotypes and giving an open and safe place for mothers to share their emotions.
3. Influence on Child Growth and Family Dynamics
Maternal mental health has a huge influence on the development of a child as it influences the cognitive, social, as well as emotional development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Previous studies revealed an adverse effect of maternal depression on the ability of a child to develop secure attachment. It is crucial for the social competence as well as emotional regulation of the child.
Ripple Effect on Family Relationships
Maternal mental health not only influences the relationship of the mother with the child, but it also affects the dynamics of the entire family. As joint family systems are prevalent in South Asian communities, the mental well-being of the mother influences the household, resulting in tension and disputes among family members.
It aggravates the feelings of failure, isolation, and guilt, resulting in a worsened psychological health of a mother.
Need for Encouraging Environment
A supportive environment is important for mothers to guarantee the positive development of the child and healthy family relations. Families should be educated about the etiology, symptomatology, and consequences of maternal mental health and they should be motivated to nurture open discussions around maternal mental health problems.
It can aid in alleviating the stigma around maternal mental health. Moreover, supportive environments also demand access to professional aid and mental health services relevant to the social and cultural norms of South Asian mothers.
4. Limited Access to Mental Health Resources
The major challenge faced by South Asian mothers is in reaching out to mental health resources. This challenge aggravates problems like anxiety and postpartum depression. The lack of qualified healthcare providers with an understanding of the distinct social, religious, and cultural factors of South Asian mothers is the main hurdle.
Importance of Social Support
Advocating awareness regarding the significance of maternal mental health is also important in alleviating stigma. Support networks and awareness programs play a significant role in removing this hurdle.
Advocating awareness regarding the significance of maternal mental health is important in alleviating stigma. Support networks like online platforms, helplines, and peer groups planned for South Asian mothers can allow mothers to share their emotions in a culture-friendly environment and seek help.
Significance of Access to Mental Health Services
To make sure that South Asian mothers get proper support, access to culturally sensitive care and mental health services should be enhanced. Those who cannot comprehend and speak the dominant language efficiently can get help by providing them with mental health information in different languages of South Asians, in both digital and written forms.
Policymakers and wellness programs must work to include qualified and experienced mental health professionals who understand the cultural and social circumstances of South Asians.
5. Cultural Stigma and Taboo Around Mental Health
Mental health remains stigmatized in South Asian communities. It is usually misinterpreted as an individual’s weakness instead of an authorized health condition. This stigma is compelling when it comes to maternal mental health, where it is expected from a woman to play the role of an ideal mother and sacrifice herself while ignoring all the emotional problems she may suffer.
Influence of Stigma on Help-Seeking
In South Asian societies, stigma about mental health impedes a mother from seeking psychological assistance as there is a constant fear of being called “weak” or “mad”. This thought prevents them from approaching a mental health professional. This fear is aggravated by the concerns regarding privacy and chitchats in communities as in South Asia neighbors and relatives often discuss personal issues openly.
Normalizing Discussions
It is essential to normalize conversations regarding maternal mental health to deal with this stigma in South Asian societies. Safe and open spaces should be created for mothers to communicate their emotions and concerns regarding psychological health without being judged. Educational campaigns can help humanize the experience and alleviate the fear of being stigmatized by foregrounding the normalcy and prevalence of maternal mental health.
Conclusion
In South Asia, although maternal mental health is a significant element of general health, it is an unnoticed and stigmatized problem. High rates of postpartum depression and anxiety, the impact of conventional gender roles, the influence on child development and family dynamics, cultural taboos around mental health, and limited access to mental health resources are all crucial elements that enhance the significance of advocating maternal mental health. These elements not only affect mothers but also harm families, children, and a large society.
To progress, people must challenge the taboo, and encourage and normalize open discussions about maternal mental health. Moreover, access to mental health services should be improved. Collaboratively, we can make sure that all the mothers can have the chance to prosper emotionally as well as mentally, nurturing happier and healthier families. So, it is high time to prioritise maternal mental health in society as a healthy mother establishes a healthy community.