Understanding Knowledge Attitude and Practices of ASHA Workers in Addressing Maternal Mental Health: A Qualitative Study from Uttar Pradesh, India

Understanding Knowledge Attitude and Practices of ASHA Workers in Addressing Maternal Mental Health: A Qualitative Study from Uttar Pradesh, India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Understanding Knowledge Attitude and Practices of ASHA Workers in Addressing Maternal Mental Health: A Qualitative Study from Uttar Pradesh, India Yogita Kharkwal, Dr Bal Govind Chauhan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7244093/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aim This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) concerning the mental health of pregnant and lactating women in Uttar Pradesh, India. Subject and Methods For this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 ASHA workers from rural and semi-urban areas. The study explores ASHAs' understanding of mental health, their roles specifically in Maternal health care, their awareness about mental health and the extent to which psychological well-being is addressed in their routine work. Result The findings reveal that ASHA workers primarily associate maternal health with physical indicators such as height-weight monitoring, tetanus injections, and the distribution of iron supplements. Mental health concerns, including stress, anxiety, and emotional distress, are largely overlooked, with no training or guidance provided to ASHAs in this area. The absence of mental health modules in existing maternal health programs reflects a broader systemic neglect. Conclusion This study underscores the urgent need to integrate mental health education into ASHA training and embed psychological screening and support within ANC protocols to ensure a more comprehensive and holistic approach to maternal healthcare in Uttar Pradesh. Public Health Mental Health Pre-Post Partum Depression Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7244093","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":492654129,"identity":"43fa2b7e-fcf6-4e43-bd9e-52a7105a4a17","order_by":0,"name":"Yogita Kharkwal","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABC0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCAyDCgCH58IMPDBJQMQMCWg6A1aSlGc4gVgsDREuOgTQPMY4yON5+8fCHGoY8c/YEA2ObXxZ5/AzMDz8wFNzBreXMmYIDB44xFFv2PEh4nNsnUSzZwGYswWDwDLeWGzkJBw6wMSRuuJFwwDi3RyJxwwEGM6D4YQJa/oG0JDZIWwK17D/A/o2AlvQDBw62gbQkM0gz/ADawsCD3xbJM2cYDpwFesHgzDM2w94GiWKJwzzFEgl4tPAdb3/8oeKbTZ7B8fzPD378qcvjb2/f+OHDH9xaFA7wgGJNIgHMY2xjSGBgBjIScGpgYJBvYH/AgFDzB6/iUTAKRsEoGKEAAFQfYfh5L0Z2AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5571-0980","institution":"Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yogita","middleName":"","lastName":"Kharkwal","suffix":""},{"id":492654130,"identity":"19ef566f-ae14-4b5c-9dbb-0f16c376f127","order_by":1,"name":"Dr Bal Govind Chauhan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"Dr","firstName":"Bal","middleName":"Govind","lastName":"Chauhan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-29 14:05:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7244093/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7244093/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87882262,"identity":"46621f4b-4b86-4403-a27a-3b16b4456344","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-30 04:33:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":516178,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"JOPHD25013541.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7244093/v1_covered_32cd29cc-2209-4c4a-884d-2247ee7a8788.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eUnderstanding Knowledge Attitude and Practices of ASHA Workers in Addressing Maternal Mental Health: A Qualitative Study from Uttar Pradesh, India\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Na","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Public Health, Mental Health, Pre-Post Partum Depression","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7244093/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7244093/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAim\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study investigates the perceptions and experiences of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) concerning the mental health of pregnant and lactating women in Uttar Pradesh, India.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubject and Methods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor this study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 ASHA workers from rural and semi-urban areas. 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