Miranda Harris Martinez, BA
Nominated From: University of Washington
Research Site:Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Research Area: Maternal Mental Health
Primary Mentor: Dr. Shailey Prasad
Research Project
Perceptions and Expressions of Depression and Anxiety among Indigenous Women of the Rural Peruvian Amazon
Rates of mental illness are disproportionately high in the Peruvian Amazon, especially amongst rural, Indigenous women. I will examine health behaviors, perceptions, and expressions of depression and anxiety by Indigenous adolescent girls, pregnant women, and postpartum mothers living in the Loreto province of the Peruvian Amazon. To conduct this project, I will collaborate with Mamás del Río, a community-based project within the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia that is dedicated to improving maternal and neonatal health in the Loreto region.
Research Significance
While these mental health disparities have been well documented, local understandings of these mental illnesses have not yet been studied and may not fit within traditional diagnostic criteria. Understanding how women’s gendered roles influence their experiences with mental illness will allow for further culturally adapted interventions to be made by Mamás del Río and bring attention to this critical aspect of health for Indigenous women of the Peruvian Amazon—a group often not prioritized in mental health discourse and interventions.
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