Resilience in international migrant women following violence associated with pregnancy

Exposure to violence associated with pregnancy (VAP) is an underrecognized public health and social problem that has an enormous impact on the physical and mental health of women and their children. Our recent study of 1,127 new mothers living in two urban areas of Canada found refugees and asylum-seekers to be more likely to have experienced VAP than immigrant or Canadian-born women. Interestingly, some migrants who had experienced VAP had low rates of postpartum depression risk on the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, suggesting that resilience may play an important role in maintaining their mental health. Hence, we sought to explore processes which enhance migrants' resilience to VAP. We conducted in-depth interviews with ten women who had been identified as experiencing VAP and having low risk of postpartum depression and performed thematic analyses. International migrant women found internal psychological and coping resources, external social supports, and systemic factors including government policies to be vital to their resilience. Participants perceived differences in resilience by gender and immigration status. International migrant women used a range of processes to maintain and enhance their resilience after VAP, and these may be helpful to less resilient women who are vulnerable to postpartum depression.