A new study shows how social media can be an important weapon in combatting perinatal depression and anxiety in rural areas, if it is carefully designed and misinformation rooted out.
James Cook University Senior Research Fellow Sam Teague and student researcher Kacey Lynch led the study.
Dr Teague said that perinatal depression and anxiety, mental health conditions affecting women during pregnancy and the first year after birth, are significant public health concerns.
“We see up to one in five women affected globally, with a disproportionate burden carried by women in regional, rural and remote communities,” said Dr Teague.
“Access to support is severely constrained in these places by geographical isolation, workforce shortages, financial barriers and a lack of culturally safe services.”
She said digital mental health support holds promise, but few existing services are co-designed with the communities they aim to serve, limiting their relevance and effectiveness.
Ms Lynch said the team sought out perinatal mothers and mental health professionals living in North Queensland and asked them what was needed.
“Five core mental health needs were identified – social connection and support, personalised and respectful healthcare, empowering information, place-based and culturally safe support, and accessible, low-burden digital formats,” she said.
“People viewed social media as a potentially useful platform for fostering peer connection, normalising perinatal experiences and providing timely education. However, both mothers and professionals expressed concerns about misinformation, harmful social comparison and privacy risks.”
Dr Teague said the findings show social media, already widely used by new and expectant mothers, can serve as an acceptable and accessible platform for preventative mental health support.
“We’re reaching woman where they are, with a format they are comfortable in using and connecting directly, rather than accessing national services that may lack relevance in our region,” Dr Teague said.
“We need to make sure the interventions are shaped by community priorities, grounded in a clear understanding of platform capabilities and designed with explicit safeguards to manage known risks.”
She said the plan now was to develop a digital prototype integrating evidence-based psychological techniques, improve it further with community consultation and then conduct a pilot trial in the target population.
You can read the full paper online here.
Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, and Deakin University are partners in the initiative. Funded by the Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre.
