Phase 1: Gathering Research Questions

In our first survey, we asked people affected by perinatal mental health challenges, healthcare professionals, family members, carers and the voluntary sector to share the unanswered research questions that matter most to them.

Thank you to everyone who contributed. Your responses helped shape the next stage of this project.

What did we ask?

The first survey asked participants:

“What questions do you have about perinatal mental health that research would help answer?”

We wanted to understand which areas of perinatal mental health were most important to the people who experience, support, and provide care for those affected.

What did we do with your responses?

We received 407 responses, resulting in 1,093 submitted questions about perinatal mental health research.

The project team carefully reviewed all submissions, combined questions that were asking similar things, removed questions that had already been answered by existing evidence, and grouped the remaining unanswered questions into key themes.

These questions have now been taken forward into the next stage of the project, where participants are being asked to prioritise the research questions they feel are most important.

Key themes identified

The questions submitted covered a wide range of areas relating to perinatal mental health. After reviewing and organising responses, we identified the following key themes:

Pregnancy, birth and maternity experiences

Access to care, support and services

Treatments and interventions

Trauma and difficult experiences

Perinatal mental health conditions

Families, relationships and parenting

Pregnancy complications, infant health and baby loss

Inclusive care and reducing inequalities

Medication, physical health and biological factors

What happens next?

The questions identified through the first survey formed the basis of our prioritisation survey.

In the second survey, people affected by perinatal mental health challenges and healthcare professionals are being asked to select the research questions they believe are the highest priority for future research.

The highest-ranked questions will then be taken forward to the final online prioritisation workshop, where the final Top 10 research priorities will be agreed.

Take the Survey

James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership for Perinatal Mental Health

Connect

contact@PrioritisePerinatal.co.uk