Interviewee: Beulah Suleman, BSc,University of Nebraska-Lincoln |Editors: Romina Garcia de leon and Janielle Richards (Blog Co-coordinators)
Published: July 11, 2025
Can you tell us about your research?
I am currently looking at how extended family networks can serve as a buffer against perinatal mental health risk, for e.g. postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, among African immigrant women. The immigration process can be really stressful in the US and navigating a new healthcare system can be overwhelming for immigrants especially if there is no access to culturally sensitive programs. Therefore, I am looking at how extended family networks could reduce the risk of developing mental health disorders by acting as a source of emotional and informational support.
What research approaches will you use?
I intend to use a mixed-methods approach. African immigrant women who are pregnant or new mothers will be interviewed on ways they think extended family could support them through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. I also intend to analyze quantitative data, however I am still considering which data set would be best for the study. However, the data set will have variables related to postpartum disorders such as depression, anxiety and postpartum psychosis.
How did you get involved in Women’s Health Research?
A combination of different lived experiences sparked my interest in the area. As a child I witnessed my mother go through episodes of postpartum psychosis, but at that time I didn’t know what was happening. During my studies in Nigeria, I learnt about postpartum psychosis and concluded that my mother may have experienced this condition. I also believed that the lack of support from close and extended family may have also contributed to the situation. Also at that time, there was limited access to perinatal healthcare in Nigeria that could have helped her after childbirth and during the postpartum period.
Prior to starting my doctoral program, I also worked with non-profit organizations in Nigeria that advocate for better maternal and child health. During my time, I led initiatives that improved the health outcomes of mothers who had a preterm birth. There, I saw firsthand how difficult it was for new mothers to cope during postpartum with a preterm newborn especially if they had no support from close and extended family members. These experiences are some of the reasons I am passionate about Women’s Health Research.
Do African immigrant women have worse perinatal outcomes?
Compared to their white counterparts, African immigrants and African Americans in general have poorer maternal health outcomes. Discrimination in the healthcare system due to their race and gender are some of the contributing factors. Furthemore, navigating the healthcare system under these conditions can be difficult and stressful. Therefore, I am hopeful that extended family networks can provide information, or even act as an emotional resource for these immigrants as they transition from pregnancies to the postpartum period. Perhaps, this resource could reduce the risk of developing postpartum depression and anxiety.
So what impact do you hope your research will have?
The major impact would be to develop support networks that can assist immigrant women during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. I believe extended family networks can provide emotional support and consequently reduced the risk of mental disorders during this critical time period among immigrant women.