Motherhood inmigrant women in Chile: a qualitative study

Background: The adverse impact of poverty and migration in pregnant women is expressed in diverse results in reproductive, mental and child health, all of which are related to lack of documentation to reside in the country, absence of health insurance and no economic resources to pay private services, or either not understanding the administrative procedures. Objective: To understand the experience of immigrant women in the process of motherhood and rearing infants under 6 months, in the context of social vulnerability in an urban area of Santiago de Chile. Design: Qualitative research design, with descriptive analysis data and interpretation gradually given to explicity the findings relevant the study with women from a healthcare center in the urban region of Chile. Participants: The sample was deliberate by criterion, the participants were thirteen immigrant women between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. Guided open-ended interview were performed after providing informed consent. In the analysis of information, the following criteria was applied: credibility, authenticity, possibility of confirmation, dependence and transferability. Findings: From immigrant's women discourses, difficulties to access the health system could be observed, due to institutional and structural barriers that represented a limitation for social and cultural integration. In addition, feelings of mistrust, tension and insecurity about reaching for healthcare and social support for them and their family, produces a series of problems for the women and their children. Conclusion: Immigrant women face cultural and institutional barriers, as well as social and personal adversities that conditions a complex process of social vulnerability to take responsibility for a safe motherhood and rearing. Living the phases of the migration process and an unwanted pregnancy – in most cases - made the women face the challenge of rearing in another country, in economic vulnerability, emotional instability with their partners and with social and cultural barriers with healthcare teams. Implications for practice: It is necessary to mention the role of the midwifery and nursing from the point of view of assistance, due to their responsibility in accompanying the child-rearing period for both native and immigrant women for years. It is worth mentioning the theory of culturation, referring to the need for knowledge of the cultural and social structure of an individual, family and community, which provides an integrated, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach to care in contexts of vulnerability conditioned by migration.