Unravelling the threads of trauma-informed and culturally safe maternity care for Karen women of refugee background
The overall goal of this PhD project is to gain insights into what works to facilitate trauma-informed and culturally safe interpreter-mediated maternity care for Karen women with a refugee background.
This project will involve collaborating with Karen women, Karen interpreters and maternity care providers in Victoria.
What is already known?
Karen women from refugee backgrounds living in high-income countries, such as Australia, face significant challenges accessing pregnancy care.
There is evidence to suggest that trauma-informed and culturally safe care, can improve women’s experiences of care and potentially lead to improved outcomes. Access to quality interpreting services has also been linked to a more positive maternity care experience for women.
What this study adds
There is currently limited evidence about what works to facilitate trauma-informed and culturally safe interpreter-mediated care for women of refugee background. I hope to co-create recommendations for trauma-informed and culturally safe interpreter- mediated care as an outcome of this project.
In the act of unravelling threads, we find the power of community to mend what is broken and build something beautiful
-Unknown
What’s next?
The next steps are to:
conduct a scoping review to identify and map the existing evidence on the experiences of women of refugee backgrounds, maternity care providers, and interpreters in interpreter-mediated maternity care. The review will focus on research conducted in high-income countries.
engage with the Karen community to identify community advisors to form a Community Advisory Group. The role of this group is to provide advice and guidance on the practical, ethical and cultural aspects of this project at all key stages of the research.
Where can I read more?
Exploring Trauma- and Violence-Informed Pregnancy Care for Karen Women of Refugee Background: A Community-Based Participatory Study
Toke S, Correa-Velez I, Riggs E. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(3), 254.
