An Assessment of Romani Women's Autonomy and Timing of Pregnancy in Serbia and Macedonia

An evaluation of early marriage and the mental state of Roma women: A cross-sectional study

Early marriage (i.e., at less than 18 years of age) is a significant global problem threatening the well-being of women. This cross-sectional study evaluated early marriage and the mental health of Roma women in Adana, Turkey. Data were collected between March 2019 and September 2019 using the Descriptive Characteristics Form and the Brief Symptom Inventory. We interviewed 272 married Roma women over 18 years of age, of whom 59.6% (n = 162) had married before the age of 18 years; of these, 14.2% had done so before the age of 15. Significant positive correlations were found between the duration of the marriage and measures of interpersonal sensitivity, somatization, depression, anxiety, phobia, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and the Global Severity Index in the women who had married early. Among women who married after 18, the duration of marriage had a significant positive relationship with somatization and phobic anxiety. Early marriage and a longer duration of marriage were associated with more symptoms of psychological distress.

Perinatal health outcomes of women from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

GRT communities are disadvantaged minority groups in Europe and experience some of the poorest health outcomes, including maternal and child health. This systematic review aimed to assess the maternal, perinatal and infant health outcomes of women from GRT communities and the factors associated with the reported outcomes.

METHODS

Database searches were conducted from inception to June 2023 in 4 bibliographic databases supplemented with an additional Google Scholar search. Studies with quantitative data on maternal outcomes published in English were considered. A narrative synthesis was performed, and data were presented in text, figures and tables.

FINDINGS

Forty-five studies from 13 European countries were included. Outcome factors related to mothers showing low healthcare engagement, high fertility rates and shorter gestation periods among GRT women. Child wantedness was also noted to influence pregnancy completeness, which included abortion and miscarriage. More negative infant outcomes were seen in GRT infants than non-GRT infants; this included higher preterm births, lower birth weight, higher rates of intrauterine growth restriction and infant mortality. Risk factors of poorer maternal outcomes were early reproduction, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, deprivation, poor nutrition and perinatal care.

CONCLUSION

This review provides evidence that GRT women and children experience more negative outcomes than general populations. It also highlights the gaps in ethnicity and health inequalities more broadly. The significant importance of this research is the need for increased focus on reducing health inequalities, especially among the GRT community.

Experiences and constructions of womanhood and motherhood among Spanish Roma women

Roma women face multiple inequalities at the intersections of ethnicity, gender, and class. Framed by Romani feminism, studies have explored Roma women’s own perspectives and experiences, drawing attention to the diversity within this group and the specificities of their social position due to the complex forms of discrimination they face. Drawing on interviews with Spanish Roma women, this article contributes to and extends this strand of research by exploring Roma women’s experiences and constructions of womanhood and motherhood. We found the construction of womanhood to be focused on the effective management of responsibilities, particularly caring and household tasks. Moreover, Roma women defined motherhood as a valued experience for them and their communities. A homemaker position was associated with mattering, something, we argue, which needs to be understood in the context of racial hostility, exclusion, and precarity in which Roma women live.

International comparison of reproductive health seeking behaviour in Roma population

Letter to the Editor, in response to the paper "Reproductive health of Roma women in Slovakia", Cent Eur J Public Health 2020 28(2):143-148.

RoMoMatteR: Empowering Roma Girls' Mattering through Reproductive Justice

Aim: To present a protocol study directed at tackling gender discrimination against Roma girls by empowering their mattering so they can envision their own futures and choose motherhood only if-and when-they are ready. Background: Motherhood among Roma girls (RGM) in Europe impoverishes their lives, puts them at risk of poor physical and mental health and precipitates school dropouts. Overwhelming evidence affirms that the conditions of poverty and the social exclusionary processes they suffer have a very important explanatory weight in their sexual and reproductive decisions. Methods: Through a Community-based Participatory Action Research design, 20-25 Roma girls will be recruited in each one of the four impoverished communities in Bulgaria, Romania and Spain. Data collection and analysis: Desk review about scientific evidences and policies will be carried out to frame the problem. Narratives of Roma women as well as baseline and end line interviews of girl participants will be collected through both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Quantitative data will be gathered through reliable scales of mattering, socio-political agency, satisfaction with life and self. A narrative analysis of the qualitative information generated in the interviews will be carried out. Expected results: (1) uncover contextual and psychosocial patterns of girl-motherhood among Roma women; (2) build critical thinking among Roma girls to actively participate in all decisions affecting them and advocate for their own gender rights within their communities; and (3) empower Roma girls and their significant adults to critically evaluate their own initiatives and provide feedback to their relevant stakeholders. Conclusions: Roma girls will improve their educational aspirations and achievements and their social status while respecting and enhancing Roma values.

Engaging hard-to-reach populations in research on health in pregnancy: the value of Boal's simultaneous dramaturgy

Background: Migrant populations are among the hardest to reach for research purposes.Methods: An interdisciplinary research team piloted a modified version of Boal's simultaneous dramaturgy with Roma mothers in Belfast.Results: The technique, based on scripted performances, translations, and discussions, proved effective for engaging with this hard-to-reach population, despite low levels of literacy, high language barriers, and cultural separateness. The approach uncovered attitudes to pregnancy which reinforce health inequalities, and present significant challenges for improving the health of marginalized populations.Conclusions: This pilot underlines the importance of building trust through holistic approaches to working with hard-to-reach populations through the creative arts.

[Sexual and reproductive health in Roma women: the family planning programme of Polígono Sur in Seville (Spain)]

OBJECTIVE

To describe the challenges, resources and strategies of the staff of the family planning programme of the Polígono Sur Healthcare Centre in Seville (Spain) in their care of Roma women.

METHOD

This is a descriptive study in which in-depth interviews and discussion groups were held with all programme professionals, including a documentary review of the programme. The information was analyzed based on the Roma Health Integration Policy Index, a tool that evaluates the entitlement, accessibility, sensitivity and capacity for change of health programmes for the Roma population.

RESULTS

The professionals encountered multiple challenges to implement the family planning programme with Roma women due to the characteristics of the users and the low sensitivity of the programme towards them. The absence of specific actions for Roma women within the family planning programme, agreed to by the healthcare district, obliges professionals to develop adaptations and strategies to ensure quality sexual and reproductive health services for their users.

CONCLUSIONS

It is necessary to adapt sexual and reproductive health programmes targeted at Roma women by (a) detecting, evaluating, systematizing and disseminating good practices, (b) developing actions that address the multiple vulnerabilities of Roma women, (c) acknowledging professionals who advocate for the health of these women within their organizations, and (d) promoting reproductive justice as the goal of these programmes.