JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Healthcare providers in perinatal settings frequently face situations of cultural difference for which they report feeling ill-equipped, experiencing a sense of helplessness that often reflects implicit biases embedded in biomedical training. Immigrant women, for their part, face cultural misunderstandings that undermine their sense of maternal competence and expose them to care disparities. We established the 'Maternity and Cultures' transcultural group in a university maternity unit in Paris, conceived as both a clinical space for migrant women and a model for professional development in cultural competence.

Objective:

This qualitative study pursues two complementary aims drawn from the same focus-group material. The primary aim is to identify and characterize the transcultural competencies enacted by the group's facilitators — as observed in session transcripts and reflexive diaries — and to examine how this group model could serve as a framework for training perinatal professionals in bias-aware, culturally sensitive care. The secondary aim is to describe the lived experiences of the participating migrant women and the perceived benefits of the group. As a hypothesis-generating study, it characterizes these competencies as observable practice rather than measuring their effect on professionals' learning.

Methods:

We conducted 15 focus group sessions over one year with immigrant women at a Paris maternity unit, modeled on a clinical discussion group established in 2017. Our research team of clinician-researchers drew on transcultural psychiatric expertise and maintained reflexive diaries throughout. All focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis.

Results:

45 women participated, predominantly first-generation migrants from sub-Saharan Africa recently arrived in France. Three themes emerged: (1) Factors alleviating feelings of isolation; (2) Strategies of cultural blending and the evolution of practices in migration; (3) Transcultural competence as observed practice: group facilitation and bias-aware clinical posture.

Conclusions:

This transcultural group serves a dual function: it supports migrant women's empowerment and maternal competence while simultaneously offering a replicable model for training perinatal healthcare professionals in bias-aware, culturally sensitive practice. The facilitators' transcultural posture which is characterized by non-judgmental listening, analogical approaches, and linguistic equity, may serve as a framework for professional training. Mixed-methods studies are needed to quantify clinical and educational outcomes. Clinical Trial: not applicable