The objectives of this study were (1) to develop a Japanese version of Mother-to- Infant Bonding Scale Japanese version (MIBS-J) based on Kumar’s Mother Infant Bonding Questionnaire that could be used to screen the general population for problems in the mother’s feelings towards her new baby and to validate it for clinical use and (2) to examine the factor structure of the items and create subscales of the questionnaire for the Japanese version. The MIBS-J is a simple self-report questionnaire designed to detect the problems in a mother’s feelings towards her newborn baby. Participants (n = 554) were recruited at an outpatient clinic of a maternity hospital in a community after 30-weeks gestation. MIBS-J and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were administered on the fifth day at the maternity ward and mailed at 1 and 4 months postnatally. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a two-factor structure out of eight items: lack of affection (LA) and anger/rejection (AR). Chronbach’s α coefficients were 0.71 and 0.57, respectively. The LA and AR scores had strong correlations across postnatal times. The mothers with higher (worse) AR scores on the MIBS-J at any of the three periods had higher scores on the EPDS. MIBS-J demonstrated acceptable reliability and reasonable construct validity in this Japanese sample.
BackgroundPostnatal depression seems to be a universal condition with similar rates in different countries. However, anthropologists question the cross-cultural equivalence of depression, particularly at a life stage so influenced by cultural factors.AimsTo develop a qualitative method to explore whether postnatal depression is universally recognised, attributed and described and to enquire into people's perceptions of remedies and services for morbid states of unhappiness within the context of local services.MethodThe study took place in 15 centres in 11 countries and drew on three groups of informants: focus groups with new mothers, interview swith fathers and grandmothers, and interviews with health professionals. Textual analysis of these three groups was conducted separately in each centre and emergent themes compared across centres.ResultsAll centres described morbid unhappiness after childbirth comparable to postnatal depression but not all saw this as an illness remediable by health interventions.ConclusionsAlthough the findings of this study support the universality of a morbid state of unhappiness following childbirth, they also support concerns about the cross-cultural equivalence of postnatal depression as an illness requiring the intervention of health professionals; this has implications for future research.
A multicentre study on the epidemiology of perinatal depression was conducted among Japanese women expecting the first baby (N = 290). The incidence rate of the onset of the DSM-III-R Major Depressive Episode during pregnancy (antenatal depression) and within 3 months after delivery (postnatal depression) were 5.6% and 5.0%, respectively. Women with antenatal depression were characterised by young age and negative attitude towards the current pregnancy, whereas women with postnatal depression were characterised by poor accommodation, dissatisfaction with sex of the newborn baby and with the emotional undermining. Antenatal depression was a major risk factor for postnatal depression.
Having found that postnatal depression is not uncommon in Japanese women, a screening system should be developed, in particular because Japanese women would not naturally express their emotions, and Satogaeri bunben needs to be reconsidered qualitatively.
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