Few studies have investigated maternal fatigue, particularly fatigue throughout the duration of pregnancy and the postpartum period. The purpose of this study was to explore changes related to maternal fatigue from pregnancy to postpartum and the factors influencing fatigue. This prospective longitudinal study surveyed 197 pregnant women beyond 24 gestational weeks monthly until one month postpartum. The Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale and one question about fatigue were used. Women at late pregnancy experienced a significant increase in level of fatigue, which remained high after childbirth. Those who were not happy about the pregnancy or were multiparas experienced a higher level of prenatal fatigue than their counterparts. At postpartum, mothers who were unemployed, had no one to help with childcare, or felt that the baby's night-time sleep pattern was a serious problem had a higher level of fatigue. Interventions can be planned and implemented at early pregnancy to reduce the prevalence of fatigue. Encouraging pregnant women to share experiences and thoughts about pregnancy and being a mother is suggested. Further studies that evaluate culturally sensitive instruments for fatigue are needed.

Perinatal stress, anxiety, and depression impacts not only women but also their child(ren). The purpose of this longitudinal study is to explore trends of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms from pregnancy to postpartum and understand predictions of stress and anxiety on postpartum depression. One-hundred-fifty-six women at 23–28 weeks gestation (T1), 147 at 32–36 weeks gestation (T2), 129 at over 36 weeks gestation (T3), and 83 at postpartum (T4) completed study surveys. The Perceived Stress Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to measure stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman’s correlation, and Generalized Estimating Equation were applied to analyze the data. Results showed that levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms increased from 24 weeks gestation to postpartum, whereas stress levels decreased during pregnancy but increased in postpartum. Over half of women experienced anxiety symptoms, especially during late pregnancy and postpartum. Stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were inter-correlated. Notably, women at late pregnancy and postpartum were prone to stress, anxiety, and depression. Prenatal anxiety could predict postpartum depressive symptoms. Active assessment and management of stress, anxiety, and depression is needed and should begin from early pregnancy and continue until postpartum.

Study findings provided information giving a better understanding of exercise perceptions among obese children. Such may be used to assist obese children to increase exercise levels as part of efforts to improve health in this vulnerable population.

BackgroundOnly a few studies exist on the resilience of divorced women. Furthermore, relevant instruments for assessing the resilience of divorced immigrant Southeast Asian women are rare. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to develop and examine a new Resilience Scale-Chinese version (RS-C) that is specific to divorced immigrant Southeast Asian women in Taiwan.MethodsThe study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, 20 items were used to evaluate face and content validities. In phase 2, a cross-sectional study was conducted. In total, 118 immigrant women participated in this study and were recruited from three nongovernmental organizations providing services for immigrants in Taipei City and Miaoli and Chiayi Counties. Psychometric properties of the instrument (i.e., internal consistency, test–retest reliability, item-to-total correlation, construct validity, and convergent validity) were examined. Significance was set at p < 0.05 for all statistical tests.ResultsThe final 16-item RS-C resulted in a three-factor model. The three factors, namely personal competence, family identity, and social connections, were an acceptable fit for the data and explained 54.60% of the variance. Cronbach’s α of the RS-C was 0.85, and those of its subscales ranged from 0.77 to 0.82. The correlation value of the test–retest reliability was 0.87. The RS-C was significantly associated with the General Self-Efficacy scale and the Chinese Health Questionnaire-12.ConclusionThe RS-C is a brief and specific self-report tool for evaluating the resilience of divorced immigrant Southeast Asian women and demonstrated adequate reliability and validity in this study. This RS-C instrument has potential applications in both clinical practice and research with strength-based resiliency interventions. However, additional research on the RS-C is required to further establish its reliability and validity.

Postpartum maternal happiness, an indicator of quality of life that may decrease the effects of negative emotions such as postpartum depression, is not well studied. The purpose of this analysis was to explore how postpartum mothers experience happiness. Data were part of two cross-sectional studies with snowball sampling designed to understand health status of Chinese postpartum mothers. Forty-eight and 151 Chinese mothers within 1-year postpartum in the United States and Taiwan, respectively, answered an open-ended question about the happiest events they experienced during the postpartum period. Qualitative data were analyzed by bracketing contexts to meaning units, aggregating meaning units into themes, and deriving a thematic structure that fitted all themes. Interconnectedness and fulfillment were identified as describing postpartum maternal happiness. Existence of the baby, interaction with the baby, connecting everybody in the family, and integration of the baby into the family were the categories of interconnectedness whereas extension of mother's life, achievement, and being supported were the categories of fulfillment. The center of the postpartum mother's life was the baby and the baby, as well as activities associated with the baby, was the main source of mothers' happiness. Family support and achievement of various expectations, including continuation of the family name, also contributed to maternal happiness. Helping new mothers to understand both positive and negative emotions may encourage further discussion about areas in which mothers are feeling particularly challenged. Interventions such as cognitive counseling that stresses positive emotions may be used to assist new mothers find a healthy balance of emotions, especially cope with depression or feelings of sadness.

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