Knowledge and Skills of Midwives Regarding Perinatal Mental Health and Their Needs for Further Education

Introduction The literature highlights the crucial role of midwives in assessing and managing perinatal mental health and in providing information to women about related issues. However, research also indicates significant gaps in midwives' knowledge and skills needed to fulfill this role. Data suggest that while midwives are interested in providing mental health support, they lack the confidence, knowledge, and training to do so effectively. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and skills of midwives regarding perinatal mental health, as well as the needs for further education in this area. Methods The study included 223 midwives from across Greece. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with multiple sections. The first section included psychometric tools from the Professional Issues in Maternal Mental Health Scale (PIMMHS), assessing professional issues affecting midwifery practice. The second section used the Mental Illness Clinicians' Attitudes Scale (MICA-4), and the third section used the Perinatal Mental Health Awareness (PMHA) scale. The final section evaluated midwives' learning needs for professional development. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 22.0. Results The findings revealed significant gaps in midwives' knowledge and confidence in managing perinatal mental health, particularly in areas such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. The average knowledge score for perinatal mental health was 52.1%, indicating a moderate level of awareness, while the "Anxiety Worry and Depression" dimension of the PMHA scale had a mean score of 5.3 (range 4-6). Significant correlations were observed between midwives' knowledge and their attitudes, with those possessing greater knowledge exhibiting less stigmatizing views toward mental illness (β = -0.004, p < 0.001). Midwives with higher scores in the "Emotion" dimension of the PIMMHS were also found to hold less negative attitudes toward mental illness (β = -0.01, p = 0.008). Additionally, midwives who frequently cared for women with mental illness had significantly higher knowledge scores (β = 0.18, p = 0.019). The majority of participants expressed a need for additional training, with 171 (76.7%) participants desiring more education on bipolar disorder and 164 (73.5%) on schizophrenia. Conclusions The results highlight significant knowledge gaps and management challenges among midwives in the area of perinatal mental health, primarily due to a lack of education. These findings underscore the need for training programs to improve midwives' knowledge and capabilities in perinatal mental health care.