A qualitative meta-synthesis of the perinatal healthcare experiences of people with disability.
Sarah E Harkins, Alexandria L Hahn, Meghan Didier and 4 others
PMID 40175223WHAT IT FOUND
People with disability described perinatal care as fragmented, inaccessible, and judgmental, with clinicians often questioning their parenting capacity.
Fear of child protective services led some to hide disabilities or avoid postpartum mental health support. Self-advocacy and peer support were key coping mechanisms.
Key findings
01Clinicians frequently pathologized pregnancy and questioned parenting capacity, leading to distress and avoidance of care.
02Physical barriers like inaccessible exam tables and communication barriers like lack of interpreters or jargon-heavy explanations made care unaccommodating.
03Fear of child protective services involvement caused participants to hide their disability status or avoid postpartum mental healthcare.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Most studies focused on physical disability, so findings for sensory and cognitive disabilities are less comprehensive. Participants were predominantly White and highly educated, limiting applicability to minoritized groups. Nine studies used overlapping samples, which may inflate the weight of certain experiences. GRADE-CERQual ratings indicated moderate to serious methodological concerns in the primary studies due to poor reporting of trustworthiness strategies. The review was restricted to English-language publications from the U.S. and Canada.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that a specific intervention improves outcomes, as this is a synthesis of experiences, not a trial. Also, do not assume these experiences apply equally to all disability types, as the majority of data came from people with physical disabilities.