Attendance at Mental Health Appointments by Women Who Were Referred During Pregnancy or the Postpartum Period.

OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics of women referred to mental health care during pregnancy or the year after giving birth and to identify characteristics associated with attendance at mental health intake visits.

DESIGN: Retrospective record review of referral documentation.

SETTING: Women's health practices and perinatal mental health clinics in urban areas.

PARTICIPANTS: The sample included 647 women during pregnancy or the year after giving birth who were referred for mental health treatment.

METHODS: We reviewed the referral data sent from women's health care providers to perinatal mental health clinics to determine if mental health visits occurred.

RESULTS: Fifty percent of the 647 women who accepted perinatal mental health referrals had intake appointments. Women were more likely to participate in an intake appointment if in-home services were offered (p < .01). Those with lower income were also more likely to participate (p < 0.05). Those with histories of perinatal loss and those who self-referred tended to be more likely to participate, although these relationships were statistically nonsignificant.

CONCLUSION: Even among women who accepted referrals to mental health services, only half attended intake appointments. For this group of pregnant women and those in the first year after birth, in-home mental health visits were most likely to result in care engagement, which has important implications for service delivery.