Exploring the mental health sequelae of pre-eclampsia amongst BAME women

Design A scoping systematic review with a systematic methodology was used. Method A systematic methodology was developed using a number of key variables. These were used to develop MeSH terms of mental health (MH), BAME, pre-eclampsia and pre-eclampsia in ethnic minorities. The snow-ball method was used with each of the MeSH terms developed. These terms were used within SCOPUS, PubMed, SIGLE, Cochrane, clinical trials.gov, Embase, Google scholar and science direct from 1995 until September 2020. Quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Results A total of 4193 papers were identified; of which, 6 papers were included based on the eligibility criteria, i.e., studies that reported MH clinical outcomes amongst BAME populations with PE were included. The incidence of PE amongst BAME women were higher, thus, prevalence appears to be higher amongst ethnic minority groups in comparison to Caucasian participants. The thematic syn- thesis demonstrated depression to be a commonly reported MH outcome measure across 5 papers with 1 paper report- ing anxiety. However, there was a lack of clarity regarding a clinical diagnosis when symptomatologies were reported. All studies were quality assessed using the Newcastle- Ottawa scale and received an overall ‘good’ quality score. BAME women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were at higher risk of developing PE alongside postpartum depression and that was another important theme identi- fied. Furthermore, women who had a history of mental health illnesses also had a higher likelihood of developing PE. Similarly, a diagnosis of PE appears to increase the probability of developing a MH illness. Thus, a sequential relationship between MH and PE was identified amongst BAME populations. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of a MH sequelae with PE amongst BAME women. The reasons for the apparent high risk of PE and MH outcomes amongst BAME women remain unknown. Race and ethnicity speci- fic outcomes were demonstrated in some studies although their applicability to clinical practice would require further research. Understanding the association between PE amongst BAME women and the causation of poor MH outcomes could reduce maternal death rates as well as improve clinical practices. Identifying the causation and mechanisms would aid in developing personalised approaches to patients that would assist with employing evidence-based practices that could inform clinical guide- lines.