en
Scientific article
English

Relationship between perceived perinatal stress and depressive symptoms, anxiety, and parental self-efficacy in primiparous mothers and the role of social support

Published inWomen and Health, vol. 57, no. 2, p. 154-172
Publication date2017
Abstract

The aim of the authors in this study was to evaluate the relationships between perceived perinatal stress and social support to psychological health outcomes in mothers. A longitudinal, quantitative study was conducted in Geneva, Switzerland on 235 primiparous mothers from September 2010 to January 2012. Data were collected between gestational weeks 37 and 41 (T1), 2 days post-delivery (T2), and at 6 weeks postpartum (T3). Perinatal stress was associated with depressive symptoms (R(2) = 0.223), anxiety (R(2) = 0.242), and a low sense of parental self-efficacy (R(2) = 0.21). However, satisfaction with social support moderated the relationship of stress to the health of mothers. In particular, the authors noted that the more women were provided with support from their partners, the less depressive symptoms and elevated levels of anxiety they reported, even under stressful conditions, while the satisfaction of support from their mothers boosted their sense of competency. Furthermore, satisfaction with emotional support from professionals tempered the stress during the post-partum period (∆R(2) = 0.032; p < .05). The results revealed that perinatal stress was related to the psychological health of mothers, but social support may modulate these effects. A number of approaches could be implemented to manage this stress.

Keywords
  • Adult
  • Anxiety/diagnosis/epidemiology/psychology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depression/diagnosis/epidemiology/psychology
  • Depression, Postpartum/psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Mothers/psychology
  • Parenting/psychology
  • Parity
  • Perinatal Care
  • Personal Satisfaction
  • Pregnancy
  • Prevalence
  • Self Efficacy
  • Social Support
  • Stress, Psychological/psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Switzerland/epidemiology
Citation (ISO format)
RAZUREL, Chantal et al. Relationship between perceived perinatal stress and depressive symptoms, anxiety, and parental self-efficacy in primiparous mothers and the role of social support. In: Women and Health, 2017, vol. 57, n° 2, p. 154–172. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2016.1157125
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Article (Published version)
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Identifiers
ISSN of the journal0363-0242
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Creation09/12/2017 4:00:00 PM
First validation09/12/2017 4:00:00 PM
Update time03/15/2023 2:19:20 AM
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