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Abstract

Background
Suicide is a leading cause of maternal death. Maternity healthcare practitioners (HCPs) are uniquely positioned to identify perinatal mental health (PMH) problems and/or suicidality. Research exploring HCPs attitudes towards suicide-related screening items and their experiences of asking about perinatal suicidality is limited.

Objectives
(i) to explore HCPs attitudes towards 16 suicide-related screening items; and (ii) to explore HCPs broader views, experiences and implications of discussing suicide with perinatal women in maternity care settings.

Methods
Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with maternity HCPs. The sample included midwives, health visitors, general practitioners, and specialist PMH practitioners working in the United Kingdom (UK). Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore the data and identify themes.

Results
Most HCPs felt uncomfortable with, disliked, or found half of the suicide-related items unhelpful. Reasons included use of ambiguous or emotive terms. HCPs preferred not to use the word ‘suicide’ with pregnant or postnatal women. In the thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (i) Approaches for discussing and identifying PMH problems and suicidality; (ii) Competing demands and continuity of carer; (iii) PMH and suicidality training and support; and (iv) Availability of PMH services and referral pathways. These factors affected HCPs capacity, willingness, and confidence to ask women suicide-related questions.

Conclusions
HCPs need targeted PMH and suicidality training and support in maternity care contexts to enable them to feel more equipped, comfortable, and available to have conversations with women about PMH and suicide. Timely detection and intervention may help to improve care for women experiencing perinatal suicidality.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).
Publisher Keywords:	Suicide, Perinatal, Pregnancy, Postnatal, Healthcare practitioners, Screening
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Midwifery & Radiography
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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