Maternal ethnicity, severe perinatal mental illness and involuntary admission: mother and baby unit service evaluation

Aims and method To investigate associations between maternal ethnicity and involuntary mother and baby unit (MBU) admission, adjusting for potential confounding variables. Data from electronic records in a Scottish MBU (July 2012 to January 2024) were analysed with logistic regression. Results A total of 450 first admissions were analysed. The proportion of patients from Black, Asian, Mixed or other ethnic minorities who were admitted involuntarily ( n = 8/48, 38%) was twice that of White British patients ( n = 66/364, 18%) with White not British patients showing an intermediate proportion ( n = 12/38, 32%). In the unadjusted model, being of Black, Asian, Mixed or other minority ethnicity was associated with involuntary admission (odds ratio 2.7, 95% CI 1.4–5.2; P = 0.002), as was being of White not British ethnicity (odds ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.0–4.3; P = 0.04997). Association were attenuated after adjustment for potential confounders, including psychosis. Clinical implications We identified racial inequalities in a perinatal mental health setting. The drivers of these differences are likely multifactorial.