BACKGROUND:
Minority ethnic birthing individuals (MEBIs) face a high risk of perinatal mental health issues but are among the least likely to disclose emotional concerns to healthcare professionals (HCPs).

OBJECTIVES:
To explore help-seeking behaviours of MEBIs related to perinatal mental health and identify approaches to promote higher help-seeking.

METHODS:
The study was preregistered on the Open Science Framework. MEBIs who had experienced mental health problems and had a child between 3 months and 5 years old were recruited through social media using purposeful sampling. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams after piloting a topic guide with two MEBIs. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis independently conducted by two of the authors.

RESULTS:
Seventeen interviews were conducted between January and April 2025 (mean duration: 49 minutes) and included in analyses. Participants had an average age of 34 and the mean age of their youngest child was 2. Participants identified as African, Indian, Turkish, Filipino, Chinese, Indonesian, Latino, Sri Lanken, White and Black Caribbean, and any other Asian background. Preliminary findings indicated that cultural silence surrounding mental health and uncertainty about the implications of disclosure were both major barriers discouraging help-seeking. Suggestions to facilitate help-seeking included providing clear and reassuring information, offering consistent emotional check-ins by HCPs, and signposting to culturally matched community groups.

CONCLUSIONS:
Intervention efforts should prioritise using culturally sensitive language that feels clear and reassuring to MEBIs. Cultural competency training for HCPs and developing strategies to reduce loneliness and isolation would also be helpful for MEBI mental health.

KEY MESSAGE:
Comprehensive information and reassurance about mental health and emphasising family support over child protection can foster trust and increase help-seeking among MEBIs. Ethical approval was granted by the University of Leeds School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee on 13.12.2024 (PSCETHS-1230). The authors declare no conflict of interest. Poster session 2 (Group A)