A new research project is seeking to understand the support refugee fathers need during and after pregnancy.

The challenges facing refugee families are many and varied, but the complex combination of factors surrounding pregnancy and postnatal support for refugee families have led to a range of disparities.

Research indicates that women with refugee backgrounds face significant barriers in accessing appropriate health care and have worse maternal and postnatal health outcomes. However, almost no research has explored the experiences of refugee men during and after pregnancy.

Refugee men face a range of additional challenges to men from the general population, including physical and mental health issues, learning a new language, social isolation and recovery from trauma.

Flinders University researcher Dr Clemence Due has extensive expertise in research concerning refugee health and will use a Flinders Foundation Health Seed Grant to study the types of support that refugee men need during or after pregnancy, and also in the case of pregnancy loss. Her work will highlight the current best practice both in Australia and overseas in providing support to refugee men during pregnancy and the neonatal period.

Combined with her existing research, Dr Due’s project will provide a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the needs of refugee families and help inform policy and practice to improve services and service access for men during and after pregnancy.

Refugee men face particular challenges related to fatherhood in a new country. As such, there is a pressing need to understand and address the specific support needs of refugee men during and after pregnancy.

Project title: Supporting men from refugee backgrounds during and after pregnancy

Lead researcher: Dr Clemence Due