Thematic Areas of the Platform
Perinatal Mental Health and Obstetric Violence
Obstetric violence and perinatal mental health are deeply interconnected. Their impacts shape the experiences of women and pregnant people, early mother–baby bonding, and family dynamics, often leaving long-lasting emotional and psychosocial effects.
This section aims to make these intersections visible and to examine them through comparative perspectives and with attention to the social determinants of perinatal mental health. We bring together research, training, care practices, and knowledge produced through activism, in support of respectful perinatal care.
Coordinators of this section
Carolina Farías (Universidad de la República, Uruguay) and María Fernanda González (Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Argentina) present the work stream “Perinatal Mental Health and Obstetric Violence” within the IPOV – Respectful Care project.
They explain why this intersection remains underexplored in global research and describe its lasting psychosocial and emotional impacts on pregnant people and their families (including anxiety, postpartum post-traumatic stress, and—often—difficulties in early bonding), as well as its effects on care pathways and trust in health systems.
The session is structured around three main axes: (1) reviewing and systematizing the available evidence, identifying gaps and methodological challenges; (2) integrating interdisciplinary perspectives (perinatal psychology, medical anthropology, critical sociology, public health, among others); and (3) connecting academic knowledge with activism and movements advocating for comprehensive, respectful perinatal care, through a critical, situated, and collaborative approach.
Project IPOV RESPECTFULCARE has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON-MSCA-2022-Staff Exchange programme. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Our selection of texts written by IPOV professionals:
Perinatal Mental Health and Obstetric Violence:
Towards a Dedicated Working Group within the IPOV Project
Obstetric violence and perinatal mental health constitute a key area of intersection that calls for dedicated attention within research, intervention, and training agendas. These issues are deeply intertwined and have lasting impacts not only on women and pregnant people, but also on their babies, families, and communities, influencing subjective experiences, early bonding, and care trajectories.
Within the IPOV project (International Platform on Obstetric Violence), which is oriented towards building global conceptual frameworks and strategies to address obstetric violence, we seek to develop this line of work in order to examine systematically its implications for perinatal mental health.
Through this section, we aim to map existing studies while also fostering dialogue between academic research, clinical practice, and knowledge generated through activism, incorporating an approach that is attentive to the psychosocial and emotional effects of violence in perinatal settings.
This line of work seeks to strengthen the production of situated and comparative knowledge, and to generate contributions that can engage with health-care provision and with collective strategies advanced by movements advocating for respectful perinatal care.