Preterm delivery in Ghana: challenges and implications for maternal mental health trajectories.

Purpose: The present study examined mothers' experiences with preterm infants in Accra, Ghana, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic, existing poverty, and global economic depressions severely challenged access to communal, familial, and individual resources. We argue that, in a family crisis, contextual and external institutional resources, such as access to quality healthcare resources, play crucial roles in mothers' risk exposure and adaptation.

Study Design/methodology/approach: Using a qualitative approach with an immersive exploratory-descriptive design, the study interviewed twenty-five (25) mothers whose preterm infants were discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana.