Leave of Absence and Return to Work Among Canadian Midwives Who Experience Mental Health Issues: Pilot Study Findings

Abstract

Despite the salience of mental health issues in midwifery, we have a limited knowledge of the experiences of midwives who take a leave due to personal or family-related mental health challenges. Our paper draws on a pilot study that aimed to address this gap in the literature by exploring the factors fostering or impeding midwives’ decision to take a leave and to return back to work. In addition to a scoping review of the academic and grey literature conducted on these issues, we administered a pilot online survey completed by sixteen midwives and conducted interviews with seven midwives. Our findings show that challenging working conditions, common to midwifery, can pose mental health challenges impacting midwives’ working ability and leading to leaves of absence or attrition. We also found that certain demographic factors make midwives more likely to leave their work due to mental health challenges. Our findings suggest that specifically targeted programs and policies might be very helpful in facilitating midwives’ return to work. This article has been peer reviewed.