Factors Affecting Women's Adjustment to Postpartum Changes: A Narrative Review

Mahboobeh Asadi, Mahnaz Noroozi, Mousa Alavi, Mahboobeh Asadi, Mahnaz Noroozi, Mousa Alavi

Abstract

Background: Postpartum period is associated with stress and pressure, and the woman must adjust herself to these changes. This study aimed to review the factors affecting women's adjustment to postpartum changes in conducted studies.

Materials and methods: This review was conducted by searching databases such as ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane, PubMed and Scientific Information Database (SID), Iranian Medical Articles Database (IranMedex), Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc), and the Iranian Magazine Database (MagIran), as well as searching through Google Scholar (as a Web search engine) in December 2019. Publications from July 2004 to October 2019 were reviewed and limited to Persian and English. The keywords used included "Postpartum", "Women's needs", "Adjustment" and "Coping". After reviewing the articles, out of 60 original articles, 17 articles were selected for final evaluation.

Results: Factors affecting adjustment to postpartum changes were divided into personal and social factors. Personal factors included previous experiences, coping styles and strategies, personality traits, self-efficacy and awareness, and social factors included family and relatives, healthcare providers, cultural context, and laws and regulations.

Conclusions: Adjustment to postpartum changes depends on the personal and social factors that can interact with each other. Women's awareness enables them to use positive coping strategies in this critical situation. Educating women's spouse and family members can contribute to increase the women's social support. Additionally, the law support guarantees the implementation of many interventions in promoting the mother's health.

Keywords: Adaptation; postnatal care; postpartum period; psychological; women.

Conflict of interest statement

Nothing to declare.

Copyright: © 2020 Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flowchart for the selection process of the articles

References

    1. Guardino CM, Dunkel Schetter C. Coping during pregnancy: A systematic review and recommendations. Health Psychol Rev. 2014;8:70–94.
    1. Piontkowski S. First baby, first year: Gratitude and emotional approach coping as predictors of adjustment and life satisfaction during the transition to motherhood. Thesis for Master of Arts, Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland. 2011
    1. Weiss M, Fawcett J, Aber C. Adaptation, postpartum concerns, and learning needs in the first two weeks after caesarean birth. J Clin Nurs. 2009;18:2938–48.
    1. Fahey JO, Shenassa E. Understanding and meeting the needs of women in the postpartum period: The perinatal maternal health promotion model. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2013;58:613–21.
    1. Hung C, Lin C, Stocker J, Yu C. Predictors of postpartum stress. J Clin Nurs. 2011;20:666–74.
    1. Ospina Romero AM, Muñoz de Rodríguez L, Ruiz de Cárdenas CH. Coping and adaptation process during puerperium. Colomb Med. 2012;43:167–74.
    1. Stephens C. Narrative analysis in health psychology research: Personal, dialogical and social stories of health. Health Psychol Rev. 2011;5:62–78.
    1. Figueiredo B, Conde A. Anxiety and depression symptoms in women and men from early pregnancy to 3-months postpartum: Parity differences and effects. J Affect Disord. 2011;132:146–57.
    1. Woolhouse H, McDonald E, Brown S. Women's experiences of sex and intimacy after childbirth: Making the adjustment to motherhood. J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol. 2012;33:185–90.
    1. Sarson IG, Sarson BR. Abnormal Psychology: The Problem of Maladaptive Behavior. India: Prenticle-Hall; 2002.
    1. Escribà-Agüir V, Artazcoz L. Gender differences in postpartum depression: A longitudinal cohort study. J Epidemiol Community Heal. 2011;65:320–6.
    1. Hung C. Revalidation of the postpartum stress scale. J Clin Nurs. 2006;15:718–25.
    1. Brummelte S, Galea LA. Postpartum depression: Etiology, treatment and consequences for maternal care. Horm Behav. 2016;77:153–66.
    1. McBride HL, Kwee JL. Sex after baby: Women's sexual function in the postpartum period. Curr Sex Heal Reports. 2017;9:142–9.
    1. Noorozi M, Bashardoost N, Farmahini Farahani M. Postpartum physico sexual problems and related factors. J Shahrekord Uuniv Med Sci. 2005;7 [In Persian]
    1. Dudek D, Jaeschke R, Siwek M, Mączka G, Topór-Mądry R, Rybakowski J. Postpartum depression: Identifying associations with bipolarity and personality traits. Preliminary results from a cross-sectional study in Poland. Psychiatry Res. 2014;215:69–74.
    1. De Caroli ME, Sagone E. The experience of pre-and post-partum in relation to support, stress, and parenthood representation. Procedia-Social Behav Sci. 2014;116:697–702.
    1. Faisal-Cury A, Savoia MG, Menezes PR. Coping style and depressive symptomatology during pregnancy in a private setting sample. Span J Psychol. 2012;15:295–305.
    1. Shaikh A, Kauppi C. Coping strategies as a manifestation of resilience in the face of postpartum depression: Experiences of women in Northern Ontario. Int J Interdiscipl Soc Sci. 2010;5:261–73.
    1. Pocnet C, Dupuis M, Congard A, Jopp D. Personality and its links to quality of life: Mediating effects of emotion regulation and self-efficacy beliefs. Motiv Emot. 2017;41:196–208.
    1. Verkerk GJM, Denollet J, Van Heck GL, Van Son MJM, Pop VJM. Personality factors as determinants of depression in postpartum women: A prospective 1-year follow-up study. Psychosom Med. 2005;67:632–7.
    1. Martin-Santos R, Gelabert E, Subirà S, Gutierrez-Zotes A, Langorh K, Jover M, et al. Is neuroticism a risk factor for postpartum depression? Psychol Med. 2012;42:1559–65.
    1. Podolska MZ, Bidzan M, Majkowicz M, Podolski J, Sipak-Szmigiel O, Ronin-Walknowska E. Personality traits assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) as part of the perinatal depression screening program. Med Sci Monit. 2010;16:PH 77–81.
    1. Schwarzer R, Boehmer S, Luszczynska A, Mohamed NE, Knoll N. Dispositional self-efficacy as a personal resource factor in coping after surgery. Pers Individ Dif. 2005;39:807–18.
    1. Schwartz L, Toohill J, Creedy DK, Baird K, Gamble J, Fenwick J. Factors associated with childbirth self-efficacy in Australian childbearing women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015;15:29.
    1. Entsieh AA, Hallström IK. First-time parents' prenatal needs for early parenthood preparation-A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative literature. Midwifery. 2016;39:1–11.
    1. Axelsen SF, Brixval CS, Due P, Koushede V. Integrating couple relationship education in antenatal education-A study of perceived relevance among expectant Danish parents. Sex Reprod Healthc. 2014;5:174–5.
    1. Wilkins C. A qualitative study exploring the support needs of first-time mothers on their journey towards intuitive parenting. Midwifery. 2006;22:169–80.
    1. Póo AM, Espejo C, Godoy C, Hernández T, Pérez C. Prevalence and risk factors associated with postpartum depression in puerperal women consulting in primary care. Rev Med Chil. 2008;136:44–52.
    1. Whisman MA, Davila J, Goodman SH. Relationship adjustment, depression, and anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum period. J Fam Psychol. 2011;25:375.
    1. Ramchandani PG, Psychogiou L, Vlachos H, Iles J, Sethna V, Netsi E, et al. Paternal depression: An examination of its links with father, child and family functioning in the postnatal period. Depress Anxiety. 2011;28:471–7.
    1. Phahuwatanakorn W. The relationships between social support, maternal employment, postpartum anxiety, and maternal role competencies in Thai primiparous mothers. Thesis of PhD of Nursing Science, School of Nursing, The Catholic University of America. 2003
    1. Carlson V, Chilton MJ, Corso LC, Beitsch LM. Defining the functions of public health governance. Am J Public Health. 2015;105:S159–66.

Source: PubMed

Sponzoři a spolupracovníci

Zdravotní podmínky

Drogové intervence

3
Předplatit