The ASPEN Study: Attempted suicide in the perinatal period: A study of suicide attempts during pregnancy and early motherhood
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15 September 2021
The ASPEN Study: Attempted suicide in the perinatal period — a study of suicide attempts during pregnancy and early motherhood
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for women during pregnancy and in the first year after birth. Despite this, there is a lack of research into the factors leading up to suicide during this time, and particularly women’s interactions with healthcare services, their experiences and needs.
Investigating suicide attempts and self-harm can further our understanding of the difficulties these women are experiencing and help inform future prevention strategies. Using data from multiple sources, including clinical records and qualitative interviews with women, friends and family members, this study aims to investigate the contextual factors surrounding perinatal self-harm and suicide attempts, and the experiences and support needs of women and families.
About the ASPEN study
The Attempted Suicide in the PEriNatal Period (ASPEN) study explores the experiences of women who had attempted suicide during the perinatal period, and that of their partner, friends, or family members. The study is adopted and funded by NIHR ARC South London.
This study is now open for recruitment. We aim to interview 20–30 women who have had a suicide attempt during the perinatal period, to understand their experiences, what healthcare was used, what support they needed, and their views on suicide prevention.
About the research
The interviews will focus on women’s feelings about pregnancy and motherhood, factors in their life leading up to their attempted suicide, and their experiences of accessing support and healthcare following the attempted suicide.
We will also interview friends, partners, or family members, nominated by the women, to understand their perspectives, views on prevention, and support following the suicide attempt.
We will invite women to ask a significant other — partner, friend or family member — to also take part in an interview about their experiences and support needs. We are offering a debriefing session with a clinical psychologist after the study interviews, as we know that these issues can be hard to talk about.
Get involved
Recruitment for the ASPEN study is now open, and we are looking for volunteers to share their experiences. If you or someone you know has experienced a suicide attempt during or in the year following pregnancy, please share this study or consider taking part.
Express interest online
Complete the short expression of interest form — it only takes a few minutes.
Contact the study team
You can also email the research team directly with any questions.
ℹ️ Compensation and support
Participants will be compensated for their time. A debriefing session with a clinical psychologist is offered after the study interviews.
Potential benefits of the research
This research will enable us to better understand the factors surrounding near fatal self-harm and suicide attempts during the perinatal period.
Improve strategies for identifying women at risk during the perinatal period
Better support for women and families following a suicide attempt
Inform prevention strategies to reduce self-harm and suicide during pregnancy and early motherhood
Meet the research team
Related content
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ASPEN study expression of interest form — take part in the research - →
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Maternity and perinatal mental health research at ARC South London - →
Patient and public involvement in maternity and perinatal mental health research
Original source: arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk — NIHR ARC South London legacy content archived June 2026.