Trajectory and Predictors of Fatigue Among Chinese Immigrant and Chinese Canadian-Born Women in the Postpartum Period.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the proportion of women with improving or worsening symptoms of fatigue at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after birth; to model the trajectory of fatigue across the first year after birth and identify baseline predictors (e.g., immigrant status) and time-varying predictors; and to describe the degree to which fatigue interferes with activities of daily living across the first year after birth among a cohort of Chinese immigrant and Chinese Canadian-born women.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

Chinese women who were recent immigrants (n = 244), nonrecent immigrants (n = 247), or Canadian born (n = 100).

METHODS

Women completed surveys at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after birth. We measured fatigue with the use of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale. Fatigue predictor variables were classified as baseline (e.g., immigrant status) or time varying (e.g., depression). We used latent growth curve modeling to examine fatigue trajectories and identify predictors over time.

RESULTS

Fatigue followed a nonlinear pattern: it improved from 1 to 6 months after birth and then worsened from 6 to 12 months after birth. Depression, anxiety, infant sleep characteristics, and breastfeeding problems, but not immigrant status, significantly increased risk for fatigue. Several daily activities were significantly influenced by fatigue, particularly early in the postpartum period as well as later, which showed a U-shaped relationship between fatigue and activities of daily living.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue is common and persistent across the postpartum period. Modifiable risk factors related to mental health, infant sleep, and breastfeeding difficulties suggest that preventive strategies for maternal fatigue warrant further investigation.