Faculty of Science, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
Faculty of Science, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
Soc Sci Med. 2018 May;204:59-66. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.03.022. Epub 2018 Mar 21.
Numerous factors have been shown to cause (or alleviate) maternal psychological distress in the early postpartum period, and a variety of interventions have been developed with the goal of preventing and/or managing such distress. However, only a few studies have explored new mothers' perspectives on the sources of their distress in the first six months' postpartum alongside the researchers' recommendations for interventions to address those sources.
The aim of this work was to (a) identify factors associated with normative psychological distress in the first 6-months' postpartum by healthy Australian first-time mothers, and (b) outline practical methods-rooted in those factors-deemed to be effective for preventing maternal psychological distress.
Semi-structured interviews with 32 first-time mothers and thematic content analysis.
Factors associated with maternal psychological distress emerged in relation to cognitive, behavioural, baby, and social factors. Mothers also indicated that interventions targeting reductions in psychological distress should include education-for mothers and significant others-prior to the postpartum period. These interventions should be delivered by credible information sources (e.g. other mothers, child-health nurses) and should focus on confidence-enhancement and social support provision.
As well as reinforcing evidence regarding common postpartum stressors, this study revealed novel insight into issues associated with normative psychological distress for new mothers (e.g., self-compassion). Perhaps most significant was that mothers also identified a range of clear practical strategies for community-based intervention designs that target psychological distress. As a result, these findings provide guidelines for interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress in the early postpartum period for Australian mothers.
大量因素已被证明会在产后早期导致（或缓解）产妇心理困扰，并且已经开发出各种干预措施，旨在预防和/或管理这种困扰。然而，只有少数研究探讨了新妈妈们对产后头六个月困扰源的看法，以及研究人员针对这些困扰源提出的干预建议。
本研究旨在：(a) 确定健康的澳大利亚初产妇在产后头 6 个月内与正常心理困扰相关的因素，以及 (b) 概述基于这些因素的有效预防产妇心理困扰的实用方法。
对 32 名初产妇进行半结构式访谈和主题内容分析。
与产妇心理困扰相关的因素出现在认知、行为、婴儿和社会因素方面。母亲们还表示，针对降低心理困扰的干预措施应包括在产后期间之前对母亲和重要他人进行教育。这些干预措施应由可信的信息来源（例如其他母亲、儿童健康护士）提供，并应侧重于增强信心和提供社会支持。
除了强化关于常见产后压力源的证据外，本研究还揭示了与新妈妈正常心理困扰相关的新问题（例如，自我同情）。最重要的是，母亲们还确定了一系列针对社区为基础的干预设计的明确实用策略，这些策略针对心理困扰。因此，这些发现为旨在减少澳大利亚母亲产后早期心理困扰的干预措施提供了指导方针。
