Parenting Stress, Social Support, and Postpartum Depression Among Mothers with Preterm Birth, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Keywords:
Parenting stress, Postpartum depression, Preterm birth, Social support, The Lao People’s Democratic RepublicAbstract
Postpartum depression affects the physical and mental health of mothers with preterm birth. This descriptive correlational research aimed to explore parenting stress, social support, and postpartum depression among mothers with preterm birth in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The participants were 85 mothers with preterm birth receiving postnatal six-to-eight-week check-up at four central hospitals in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The Lao version of research instruments included the Demographic Data Form, the Parental Stress Scale, the Mother Social Support Questionnaire, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation.
Results of the study revealed that 77.65% of the participants experienced a high level of parenting stress (M = 67.10, SD = 2.15). All participants (100%) received a high level of social support (M = 4.02, SD = 0.22), and 55.30% experienced postpartum depression. Social support had a moderate, statistically significant negative correlation with postpartum depression (rs = -.47, p < .01), while parenting stress showed no statistically significant correlation with postpartum depression.
These results provide baseline information regarding parenting stress, social support, and postpartum depression among mothers with preterm births. Nurse-midwives should develop approaches that enhance social support to prevent postpartum depression among mothers with preterm birth in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
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