A Correlation Study of Maternal Stress, Anxiety, and Perception of the Newborn in the Early Postpartum Stage

Koo, Hyun Young; Moon, Young Im

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to contribute to maternal nursing in early postpartum stage and to neonatal nursing. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires which were constructed to include parental role stress scale, state- trait anxiety scale, and perception of the newborn scale. The subjects consisted of 100 mothers in the early postpartum stage at three hospitals in the Kyoung-In area, from November 8 to December 26, 1997. The data were analyzed by an SPSS program. The results are follows: 1. The mean of parental role stress of mothers in the early postpartum stage was 10.70+/-2.63. The means of stage anxiety and trait anxiety of mothers were 36.29+/-8.45 and 38.53+/-8.36. The mean of perception of the newborn was 2.65+/-5.05, and 59% of mothers rated their newborn as better than the average newborn. 2. The level of parental role stress correlated to the level of state anxiety and trait anxiety. The level of state anxiety and trait anxiety were also related. The level of perception of the newborn was related to the level of state anxiety and trait anxiety. 3. Mothers who did not want the pregnancy, whose newborn were girls, and who already had one child had higher state anxiety than those who did not. Mothers who already had one child, and whose newborn had no specific signs had higher trait anxiety than those who did not. Mothers who professed a religions had a higher perception of the newborn than those who did not. The above findings indicate that the levels of parental role stress, state anxiety, trait anxiety and perception of the newborn of mothers in early postpartum stage were correlated. Therefore nursing intervention for reducing stress and anxiety, and improving perception of the newborn should be provided for mothers in early postpartum stage.