49% of Canadian new moms struggle with mental health postpartum, data shows
Global News
The 2024 Parental Experiences Survey found that 20 per cent of those surveyed reported that they 'needed mental health care but did not receive it.'
Just under half of Canadian mothers and birthing parents say they struggled with their mental health postpartum, according to Statistics Canada.
The 2024 Parental Experiences Survey collected information from 11,153 mothers and birthing parents across Canada who gave birth from Dec. 31, 2023 to April 29, 2024.
It includes those who gave birth who identify as women and also birthing parents who are transgender or non-binary.
One in five (20 per cent) of Canadian mothers and birthing parents reported that they “needed mental health care but did not receive it” during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
Among those reporting mental health challenges, 60 per cent say they began after childbirth, 25 per cent indicated that the challenges began during pregnancy and 15 per cent began before pregnancy.
As well, 21 per cent of mothers and birthing parents reported that “no health care provider asked about their emotional well-being during pregnancy or after childbirth.”
“We know there are many barriers in accessing care for individuals,” said Lucy Barker, a psychiatrist and early-career scientist at Women’s College Hospital. “It can be very challenging to bring it up spontaneously for some people, so making sure that health-care providers are always asking and giving that opportunity is really important.”
Thirty per cent of racialized mothers and birthing parents and 33 per cent of recent immigrants indicated that they were not asked about their mental or emotional health.
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