Transforming Lives PhD scholarship, Sheffield Hallam University: Targeting Perinatal Mental Health Inequities: Co-Designing Tailored Interventions to Improve Outcomes in Underserved High-Risk Communities
Perinatal mental health problems disproportionately affect women experiencing social disadvantage (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds, migration, poverty, disability, social care experience), contributing to significant inequalities in maternal and infant outcomes. This PhD project will focus on one or more population at greatest risk of poor perinatal mental health outcomes. Using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches, the successful candidate will investigate the individual, social, cultural, and healthcare factors that drive these disparities. By working with healthcare data, community stakeholders, and women with lived experience an in-depth understanding of un-met needs and barriers to support will be developed; with the key aim of the project being to co-design and evaluate a targeted intervention to reduce disparities. This intervention may include digital, community-based, physical activity, peer-support, or culturally adapted approaches, to improve perinatal mental health access, engagement, and outcomes among the most vulnerable groups. This research offers an exciting opportunity to generate impactful evidence that informs equitable maternity care and reduces longstanding inequalities in perinatal mental health.”
If you are interested in this project, and would like to discuss your ideas, please contact the Director of Studies, Professor Hora Soltani h.soltani@shu.ac.uk or supervisor Frankie Fair: f.fair@shu.ac.uk
You can find out more about this opportunity here