Quality of life and depression following childbirth: impact of social support
MidwiferyPublished 4 October 2010
Joan Webster, Catherine Nicholas, Catherine Velacott, Noelle Cridland, Lisa Fawcett
Citations145
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score0.98
SNIP1.27
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
Women with low social support are more likely to report postnatal depression and lower quality of life than well-supported women, and careful assessment of a woman's level of support following the birth may provide useful information for possible interventions.
Abstract
women with low social support are more likely to report postnatal depression and lower quality of life than well-supported women. Careful assessment of a woman's level of support following the birth, particularly from her partner and family, may provide useful information for possible interventions.
Keywords
PsychologyMedicine
PubMedThe MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection.
33,975 Citations1992John E. Ware, Cathy D. Sherbourne
A 36-item short-form survey designed for use in clinical practice and research, health policy evaluations, and general population surveys to survey health status in the Medical Outcomes Study is constructed.
Medical CareThe MOS 36-ltem Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)
29,791 Citations1992John E. Ware, Cathy D. Sherbourne
A 36-item short-form survey to survey health status in the Medical Outcomes Study and designed for use in clinical practice and research, health policy evaluations, and general population surveys.
The British Journal of PsychiatryDetection of Postnatal Depression
13,913 Citations1987J. L. Cox, Joan Holden +1 more
The development of a 10-item self-report scale (EPDS) to screen for Postnatal Depression in the community was found to have satisfactory sensitivity and specficity, and was also sensitive to change in the severity of depression over time.
Quality of Life ResearchThe World Health Organization's WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A Report from the WHOQOL Group
4,636 Citations2004Suzanne M. Skevington, Mohamed Lotfy +1 more
Overall, the WHOQOL-BREF is a sound, cross-culturally valid assessment of QOL, as reflected by its four domains: physical, psychological, social and environment.
International Review of PsychiatryRates and risk of postpartum depression—a meta-analysis
3,155 Citations1996Michael W. O’Hara, Annette Swain
Acta Psychiatrica ScandinavicaA systematic review of studies validating the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in antepartum and postpartum women
1,004 Citations2009Jack Gibson, Kirstie McKenzie‐McHarg +3 more
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is the most widely used screening tool for postpartum depression (PPD), and the published evidence on its validity up to July 2008 was reviewed.
BirthPrevalence and Persistence of Health Problems After Childbirth: Associations with Parity and Method of Birth
524 Citations2002Jane Thompson, Christine L. Roberts +2 more
Health problems commonly occurred after childbirth with some resolution over the 6 months postpartum, and some important differences in prevalence of health problems were evident when parity and method of birth were considered.
Cochrane Database of Systematic ReviewsAdvocacy interventions to reduce or eliminate violence and promote the physical and psychosocial well-being of women who experience intimate partner abuse
390 Citations2015Carol Rivas, Jean Ramsay +7 more
Low to very low quality evidence from two intensive advocacy trials (12 hours plus duration) showed reduced severe physical abuse in women leaving a shelter at 24 months, and the quality of evidence was moderate to low for brief advocacy and very low for intensive advocacy.
PubMedDepression during pregnancy: rates, risks and consequences--Motherisk Update 2008.
367 Citations2009Sheila M. Marcus
Depression during pregnancy and postpartum is a common clinical disorder occurring in 15% of deliveries, making it one of the most frequent conditions to complicate pregnancy.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical PsychologyMain, mediating, and moderating effects of social support on the well-being of survivors of intimate partner violence across 2 years.
301 Citations2009Marisa L. Beeble, Deborah Bybee +2 more
Evidence was found for main, mediating, and moderating effects of social support on women's well-being, and social support partially explained the effect of baseline level and subsequent change in physical abuse on QOL and depression over time, and partially mediated the effects of change in psychological abuse.
BirthSystematic Review of the Literature on Postpartum Care: Effectiveness of Postpartum Support to Improve Maternal Parenting, Mental Health, Quality of Life, and Physical Health
282 Citations2006Elizabeth Shaw, Cheryl Levitt +2 more
No randomized controlled trial evidence was found to endorse universal provision of postpartum support to improve parenting, maternal mental health, maternal quality of life, or maternal physical health and there is some evidence that high-risk populations may benefit from post partum support.
Annals of EpidemiologyPrenatal Social Support, Postnatal Social Support, and Postpartum Depression
234 Citations2009Ri‐hua Xie, Guoping He +3 more
The association between postnatal social support and PPD is much stronger than that of prenatal social support.
BirthMeasuring Social Support in Pregnancy: Can It Be Simple <i>and</i> Meaningful?
204 Citations2000Joan Webster, John WJ Linnane +4 more
Social support during pregnancy can be measured in a meaningful and simple way through the use of a short questionnaire administered at the prenatal booking-in visit.
BirthPostpartum Physical Symptoms in New Mothers: Their Relationship to Functional Limitations and Emotional Well‐being
193 Citations2008David Webb, Joan Rosen Bloch +4 more
The presence, severity, and cumulative morbidity burden associated with postpartum health problems were consistently correlated with reports of one or more functional limitations and measures of emotional well-being including depressive symptomatology.
The Canadian Journal of PsychiatryPostpartum Depression Symptoms in Newcomers
192 Citations2008Donna E. Stewart, Anita J. Gagnon +3 more
Newcomer mothers have an increased risk for PPD symptoms and social support interventions should be tested for their ability to prevent or alleviate this risk.
Archives of Women s Mental HealthHealth-related quality of life in postpartum depressed women
187 Citations2005Deborah Da Costa, Maria Dritsa +3 more
After controlling for severity of depressed mood, the occurrence of pregnancy complications, cesarean delivery, poorer sleep quality, life stress, and less social support predicted poorer mental health status.
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal NursingThe Impact of Fatigue on the Development of Postpartum Depression
144 Citations2005Elizabeth J. Corwin, Jean Brownstead +3 more
Fatigue by Day 14 postpartum was the most predictive variable for symptoms of PPD on Day 28 in this population of women, and no variable was as effective at predicting PPD as PPF.
Women s Health IssuesIntegrative Review of Research on General Health Status and Prevalence of Common Physical Health Conditions of Women After Childbirth
136 Citations2008Ching‐Yu Cheng, Li Q
The findings provide a glimpse of the presence of a number of physical health conditions experienced by women in the 2 years postpartum, and more longitudinal research is needed that focuses on the etiology, predictors, and management of the health conditions most prevalent among post partum mothers.
Health & Social Care in the CommunityThe effects of social support on maternal anxiety and depression after stillbirth
129 Citations2008Joanne Cacciatore, Stephen M. Schnebly +1 more
Congruent with the family stress and coping theory, mothers of stillborn babies who perceived family support in the period after stillbirth experienced levels of anxiety and depression that were notably lower than those of their counterparts.
Journal of Clinical NursingQuality of life, postnatal depression and baby gender
114 Citations2007Claude de Tychey, Serge Briançon +9 more
This research is the first to show that the birth of a boy reduces several dimensions of the mothers' quality of life, irrespective of depressive state.
The Annals of Family MedicinePostpartum Health of Employed Mothers 5 Weeks After Childbirth
109 Citations2006Paul G. Mcgovern
Health concerns were greater for women who were breastfeeding and for those whose babies were delivered by cesarean section, suggesting a need for greater support for these women and a reassessment by the medical community of the progressively growing practice of cESarean deliveries.
BMJOperative delivery and postnatal depression: a cohort study
106 Citations2005Roshni Patel, Deirdre J. Murphy +1 more
There is no reason for women at risk of postnatal depression to be managed differently with regard to mode of delivery and women who plan vaginal delivery and require emergency caesarean section or assisted vaginal delivery can be reassured that there are no reason to believe that they are at increased risk ofPostnatal depression.
BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & GynaecologyPostnatal morbidity after childbirth and severe obstetric morbidity
105 Citations2003Mark Waterstone, Charles Wolfe +2 more
The impact of pregnancy and childbirth, and severe obstetric morbidity on outcome 6 to 12 months postpartum, and pregnancy-and- childbirth-related death and death after childbirth are studied.
The Annals of Family MedicineMothers' Health and Work-Related Factors at 11 Weeks Postpartum
91 Citations2007Patricia M. McGovern, Bryan Dowd +5 more
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and GynaecologyValidation of the WHOQOL‐BREF among women following childbirth
88 Citations2010Joan Webster, Catherine Nicholas +3 more
This work states that there is increasing interest in measuring quality of life (QOL) in clinical settings and in clinical trials, but none of the commonly used QOL instruments has been validated for use postnatally.
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal NursingMaternal Perceived Quality of Life Following Childbirth
87 Citations2007Pamela D. Hill, Jean C. Aldag
Mothers of preterm infants scored significantly lower on the subscale psychological/baby of the Maternal Postpartum Quality of Life tool compared to mothers of near-term and term infants.
Australasian Psychiatry“Beyondblue: The National Depression Initiative”
84 Citations2001Ian B. Hickie
The initial phases of beyondblue potentially represents a very significant development in mental health for the Australian community and its success will depend on its capacity to engage the wider community in the issues that impact on persons suffering from depression and related disorders.
Health Care For Women InternationalShifting Landscapes: Immigrant Women and Postpartum Depression
79 Citations2008Marina Morrow, Jules E. Smith +2 more
It is suggested that an examination of women's narratives about their experiences of postpartum depression can broaden the understanding of the kinds of perinatal supports women need beyond health care provision and yet can also usefully inform the practice of health care professionals.
MidwiferyWomen's responses to screening for domestic violence in a health-care setting
68 Citations2001Joan Webster, Susan Stratigos +1 more
Women in Queensland found screening for domestic violence acceptable and, where health providers are suitably educated, it should be included when taking a routine health history.
Journal of Affective DisordersEvaluation of a social support measure that may indicate risk of depression during pregnancy
65 Citations2008Lori Spoozak, Nathan Gotman +3 more
The modified Kendler Social Support Interview is reliable and valid for use in evaluating social support and its relationship to depression in pregnant women and the ability of this social support scale to predict future depression in pregnancy has not yet been established.
Journal of Advanced NursingMaternal role development following childbirth among Australian women
62 Citations2008Elizabeth Emmanuel, Debra Creedy +3 more
Maternal role development following childbirth is complex and can be adversely affected by older maternal age, married status, inadequate social support and short partner relationships.
BirthA Simplified Predictive Index for the Detection of Women at Risk for Postnatal Depression
61 Citations2003Joan Webster, M. A. Pritchard +2 more
BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & GynaecologyPostnatal quality of life assessment: validation of the Mother‐Generated Index
59 Citations2003Andrew Symon, Jacqui McGreavey +1 more
The Mother‐Generated Index, a subjective tool to measure postnatal quality of life, was assessed in a study of 102 women in Tayside, Scotland and showed good correlation with established measures of physical and psychological wellbeing.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and GynaecologyImproving antenatal recognition of women at risk for postnatal depression
54 Citations2000Joan Webster, John WJ Linnane +2 more
Results indicate that an objective, psychosocial assessment during pregnancy improves recognition of women at risk for postnatal depression.
Quality of Life ResearchLow health-related quality of life among abused women
52 Citations2006Kjersti Alsaker, Bente E. Moen +2 more
Women at women’s shelters in Norway who had experienced domestic violence had very low and clinically significantly reduced health-related quality of life scores, which are significantly below the norm for the female population of Norway in all dimensions.
BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & GynaecologyIDentify, Educate and Alert (IDEA) trial: an intervention to reduce postnatal depression
48 Citations2003Joan Webster, John Linnane +4 more
A prenatal intervention in reducing the incidence of postnatal depression is tested for the first time in women with high-risk pregnancies.
Health and Quality of Life OutcomesAn exploratory study to evaluate the utility of an adapted Mother Generated Index (MGI) in assessment of postpartum quality of life in India
47 Citations2008Jitender Nagpal, Rinku Sen Gupta Dhar +4 more
The study documents that the MGI, with its inherent advantages, is a potentially useful tool for postpartum quality of life evaluation in India especially in the absence of an alternative pre-validated tool.
Health and Quality of Life OutcomesA review of mothers' prenatal and postnatal quality of life.
47 Citations2003Andrew Symon
This paper reviews articles cited in MEDLINE, CINAHL and BIDS which have addressed the concept of quality of life in pregnancy and the period following childbirth and describes five groups of articles: those explicitly assessing quality ofLife in this area; those using broader health assessments as an indicator of qualityOf life; those articles equating quality oflife with certain pregnancy outcomes in identified groups of patients.
Journal of Obstetrics and GynaecologyPostpartum emotional distress: a controlled study of Nigerian women after caesarean childbirth
40 Citations2006Dominic Ignatius Ukpong, A. T. Owolabi
Analysis of scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) showed that women that delivered by caesarean section were significantly different from the controls on the GHQ and BDI scores in the postpartum period, in support of the view that caedarean childbirth may predispose Nigerian women to adverse psychological sequelae.
Health Care For Women InternationalHealth-Related Quality of Life of Mothers: A Review of the Research
33 Citations2009Susan B. Coyle
A review of the research based on a search of the literature from 1997 to 2006 found that maternal demands, environmental elements, and selected interventions impact HRQOL in mothers.
PubMedThe impact of screening for risk factors associated with postnatal depression at the first prenatal visit.
10 Citations1997Joan Webster, John Linnane +4 more
The impact on patients, staff and services of an intervention designed to identify women at risk for postnatal depression, and the usefulness of a PND information kit, are evaluated.