Barriers to and facilitators of access to mental health services among pregnant adolescents and young mothers in Belize.

Objective: To identify barriers to and facilitators of access to perinatal mental health services among pregnant adolescents and young mothers in Belize.

Methods: This was an exploratory descriptive qualitative study using focus group discussions conducted in August 2023. The study sample was selected through purposeful sampling. Participants included pregnant adolescents, adolescent mothers and young mothers from rural and urban areas in three regions of the country (Southern, Northern, and Western). The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and the results were organized into themes.

Results: The barriers and facilitators identified fell into four themes. The first theme was individual factors and showed that respondents had good knowledge about mental health problems and a desire to seek mental health services. However, awareness about their availability was limited. The second theme was health systems and highlighted a lack of trust and confidence in health care providers, as well as limited access to mental health services due to insufficient human resources, long waiting times, and transportation costs. The third theme was stigma about teenage pregnancy and mental health issues. The fourth theme was social support, with both family and peer group support identified as facilitators for help-seeking among the respondents.

Conclusion: This study highlights important barriers to using mental health services for pregnant adolescents and young mothers in Belize. These include stigma, lack of awareness of mental health services, and limited access to them. Implementing targeted strategies to address the barriers are recommended to improve provision and uptake of mental health services among the study population.