Barriers to addressing mental health issues in childbearing women in Ghana

Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate factors hampering the provision of mental health services by nurses and midwives to childbearing women to assist in the prioritization and distribution of limited mental health resources. Design: This is a cross-sectional self-report study. Methods: Data collected from 309 nurses and midwives were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistic, namely chi-square and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The barriers reported by the participants include unavailability of mental health services (77%), lack of knowledge of mental health in women from different tribes (75.7%), lack of a clear mental healthcare pathway (75.1%), heavy workload (74.1%) and lack of knowledge of mental health issue (74.1%). These barriers are less likely to be reported by participants who are males, old and who have practiced for a long time. Conclusions: Systematic effort to restructure the healthcare delivery system, including equipping healthcare professionals with requisite knowledge, skills and competencies in maternal mental health, is highly recommended.