Postpartum depression and parental self-efficacy: a comparison of native Korean and Vietnamese immigrant mothers in Korea.

PURPOSE

This study compared postpartum depression and parental self-efficacy between married immigrant women from Vietnam and native Korean mothers.

METHOD

The participants were 72 native Korean mothers and 69 immigrant Vietnamese mothers living in a suburban city in South Korea. The instruments used were the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Parent Expectation Survey.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in age, education, employment, income, husband's age, and family structure between the two groups. Immigrant Vietnamese mothers experienced higher levels of postpartum depression (t = -3.466, p = .001) and had lower parental self-efficacy (t = 5.607, p < .001) than native Korea mothers. Postpartum depression was negatively correlated with parental self-efficacy in native Korean mothers (r = -.349, p = .003), but there was no significant correlation in the immigrant Vietnamese mothers (r = .011, p = .936). The mothers' country of origin, whether immigrant or Korean, was a significant factor in postpartum depression (β = .338, p = .040; R (2) = .091). The mothers' country of origin had no effect on parental self-efficacy (p = .957). Instead, significant differences were found for the age, education level, and family structure of the participant (R (2) = .036).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study demonstrated that postpartum depression was more prevalent among married immigrant women from Vietnam than among native Korean mothers. Accordingly, a postpartum depression intervention program for married immigrant women should be developed and implemented.