[Family support and quality of life of pregnant women during pregnancy and after birth].

PURPOSE

The primary purpose of this study was to measure family support for pregnant women after birth (PWAB) and to examine its relationships with quality of life (QOL), child care, and health conditions.

METHOD

A self-administered questionnaire was distributed three times by mail to the women attending a maternity class in an urban hospital, during late pregnancy and one month and six months after birth (n=151). The objective was to assess family support (from husbands and parents), child care, health conditions, and QOL. An original QOL scale was developed using twelve items, revealing three factors: "Positive feeling", "contentment with the physical environment and financial situation (Surrounding factors)", and "satisfaction with lifestyle and relationships (Daily life)". We conducted path analysis to examine the correlates of the QOL scale.

RESULTS

(1) The support score of husbands increased gradually over the period of the study, while parents were found to be most supportive one month after birth. Additionally, husbands and parents were found to compensate for each other in their support. (2) The more support the PWAB received in a given period, the higher the mean scores for child care, health conditions, and QOL. (3) "Positive feeling" was influenced by the husband's support during the whole study period (i.e., during pregnancy and one month and six months after birth). "Surrounding factors" correlated with the husband's support during pregnancy and at one month after birth. "Daily life" correlated with the support most strongly at six months after birth.

CONCLUSION

Family support was shown to be a strong correlate for the QOL of PWAB. Providing family support could improve mothers' child care, health conditions, and QOL.