Conceptualizing the Impacts of Racism on Racialized Midwives in Ontario: An Alert to the Profession

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Research
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• A significant research gap exists regarding the impact of racism on the mental health of midwives in Ontario.
• Racialized midwives face unique stressors within their professional environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conceptualize the multifaceted impact of racism on the mental health and well-being of racialized midwives practicing in Ontario.
• To identify actionable recommendations for mitigating the negative effects of racism in the midwifery profession.

Main Methods:

• A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed to analyze qualitative data.
• Data were collected through focus groups and interviews with racialized midwives in Ontario who had practiced within the past 15 months.

Main Results:

• A novel conceptualization, "Hypervigilance: Being Plugged In," was developed, detailing cause-and-effect relationships between racism-related exposures and internal responses.
• Key findings include microaggressions leading to exhaustion, bias checking and exclusion causing educator fatigue, and systemic inaction resulting in disenfranchisement.
• Participants recommended funding for racially/ethnically concordant mental health practitioners and mandatory anti-racism training for all members.

Conclusions:

• Exposure to racism profoundly affects the mental health of racialized midwives, potentially leading to allostatic overload, illness, and disability.
• The findings serve as a critical alert to the midwifery profession and healthcare systems to address racism's detrimental impact on the workforce.
• This study offers crucial insights into the lived experiences of racialized midwives and proposes evidence-based strategies for systemic change.