Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Perinatal mental disorders are the most common complication of childbirth, affecting up to 20% of pregnant and postpartum people. Without treatment, these disorders are associated with increased risk of obstetrical complications, impaired infant development, and in serious cases, maternal suicide. Despite this, most people with perinatal mental disorders do not receive the treatment they need due to many complex factors, including fear of judgment, geographical limitations, and poor access to specialized perinatal mental health (PMH) services. Virtual care - defined as patient care delivered remotely using technology - offers a promising solution to these long-standing treatment barriers. Yet, little is known about who is accessing virtual PMH services or their experiences doing so. As virtual care expands, this information is urgently needed to ensure virtual PMH services are designed and delivered in ways that are accessible, equitable, and effective. This research will address this knowledge gap by critically examining virtual PMH care access and uptake in British Columbia (BC). I will use electronic health records from three PMH clinics to examine differences in virtual care use by geographic and sociodemographic characteristics. I will also interview patients who have used virtual PMH services to understand how individual, social, and structural factors shape their experiences of virtual care access and use. Findings from this study will generate timely and much needed evidence to guide system-level changes to enhance equity in virtual PMH care delivery in BC and beyond.