ABSTRACT
Migrant women are at higher risk than non-migrant women for developing anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, which may be related to external and internal factors. The exposure to several and cumulated environmental stressors during the perinatal period, such as socioeconomic difficulties, fears related to job conditions, and housing difficulties, may add to the common phenomenon of pregnancy-related anxiety and lead to heightened and persistent levels of general antenatal anxiety. On the “inner side,” migrant women go through a double and overlapping transition associated with migration losses and cultural adjustment. They also face a developmental transition that is experiencing motherhood and self-redefinition process in a context where they often lack family and social support and counseling. This chapter gives an overview of antenatal anxiety in migrant women with different socioeconomic, legal, and cultural resources.
