Maternity Care Experiences of Asylum-seeking and Refugee Women in Scotland

The International Organisation of Migration reports that over half (52.4%) of international migrants in Europe are women. Evidence suggests that women with immigrant backgrounds often struggle to access healthcare across the world. Among migrant women, asylum-seeking and refugee women face higher risks of poor pregnancy and birth outcomes, including babies with low birth weight, physical and/or mental health problems or death related to pregnancy and/or childbirth. Previous studies have focused on immigrant women's experiences of care during pregnancy and birth and did not differentiate between asylum seekers, refugees, and economic migrants. This can make it difficult to compare studies accurately. This study focuses on asylum-seeking and refugee women, using the definitions provided by the United Nations. Asylum-seeking women refer to women who seek protection in a country other than their own and are waiting for a decision on their status. Asylum seekers become refugees once their application has been processed and accepted.

A scoping review was conducted to understand the experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women accessing maternity care in the United Kingdom( UK), focusing on Scotland. The review found that all studies that focused on the experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women accessing maternity care were mainly based in England. The review identified the presence of specialist migrant services in maternity settings in Scotland and across the UK. Still, there was no information on their implementation or impact on women's outcomes. Additionally, there is limited evidence in the UK on the perceptions of healthcare professionals providing care to asylum-seeking and refugee women.

This study aims to close this gap in research by exploring this area more deeply in Scotland through mixed-methods studies of surveys with asylum-seeking and refugee women and interviews with maternity care leaders, policymakers, maternity healthcare professionals, and asylum-seeking and refugee women.