The opinions of migrant women from Ukraine regarding intrapartum and midwifery care in Poland: a cross-sectional comparative study.

INTRODUCTION

Since the escalation of the armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022, the number of Ukrainian citizens in Poland has increased considerably, especially among women. The study aimed to explore the opinions of migrant women from Ukraine regarding the intrapartum and midwifery care they received in Poland, as well as to analyse demographic, migration-related, clinical, and psychosocial variables associated with these aspects of care.

METHODS

The study was conducted using the diagnostic survey method between December 2024 and February 2025 among 481 migrant women from Ukraine who gave birth in Poland. The research tool was an original questionnaire developed in Ukrainian.

RESULTS

The migrant women from Ukraine reported high assessment scores for the intrapartum care (M = 8.8) and midwifery care (M = 9.0) they received in Poland. The variable most strongly associated with higher ratings of intrapartum and midwifery care was the fulfilment of childbirth related expectations (p < 0.05). A negative association with the assessment of intrapartum and midwifery care was observed for the experience of discrimination or humiliation, as well as for poorer treatment based on national origin (p < 0.05). In turn, a significant interaction effect was found between the fulfilment of childbirth-related expectations and the time of arrival in Poland, both for the overall assessment of intrapartum care (β = 0.328; p = 0.002) and for the assessment of midwifery care (β = 0.248; p = 0.021).

CONCLUSION

The study underscores that the fulfilment of birth-related expectations, access to information regarding the medical situation, and the absence of discrimination or humiliation were associated with more favourable evaluations of intrapartum and midwifery care among migrant women from Ukraine in Poland.