Perinatal depression among migrant women: The role of legal status in the difficulties experienced

Motherhood is a major transition in a woman’s life. When a woman is faced with social, economic, or family difficulties during the perinatal period, the transition to motherhood can lead to psychological distress and depression. This study aimed to compare two groups of vulnerable and non-vulnerable migrant women to native Swiss women in terms of perinatal and postnatal depression rates, to record women’s experiences related to their perinatal depressive symptoms, and to question migrant women on the implementation of parenting practices in a bicultural context. The results showed that migrant women in legally precarious situations were more at risk of perinatal depression than Swiss women or those whose legal situation was secure.The psychological difficulties experienced seemed to be related more to an accumulation of pre-existing psychosocial difficulties than to cultural maladjustment. They do not hinder the women’s ability to instate culturally mixed parenting practices.