Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar 14;18(6):2988.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18062988.

Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Early Postpartum Women

Yu-Jeong Jeong  1 , Ju-Hee Nho  2 , Hye Young Kim  2 , Ji Young Kim  2
Affiliations

Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Early Postpartum Women

Yu-Jeong Jeong et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Postpartum women experience various changes in their physical and psychological health and in their relationships with their spouse and newborn. This study aimed to identify and evaluate the factors that affect the quality of life (QoL) of women within six weeks after childbirth. A prospective, cross-sectional correlational study was used. A convenience sample of 179 postpartum women was recruited from four postpartum care centers in South Korea. Participants completed structured questionnaires on postpartum fatigue, postpartum depression, marital intimacy, breastfeeding adaptation, and quality of life. Marital intimacy (β = 0.466, p < 0.001) was the most influencing factor on the QoL of women during the postpartum period. In descending order, postpartum fatigue (β = -0.192, p = 0.001), postpartum depression (β = -0.190, p = 0.001), breastfeeding adaptation (β = 0.163, p = 0.002), and occupation (β = 0.163, p = 0.004) all had a significant influence on QoL (F = 32.09, p < 0.001), and the overall explanatory power was 63.6%. It is necessary to assess and consider the physical, psychological, relational, and demographic factors of women during the early postpartum period. Comprehensive interventions need to be developed to improve the QoL of women during the postpartum period.

Keywords: breastfeeding adaptation; marital intimacy; postpartum depression; postpartum fatigue; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL): Position paper from the World Health Organization. Soc. Sci. Med. 1995;41:1403–1409. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(95)00112-K. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hill P.D., Aldag J.C., Hekel B., Riner G., Bloomfield P. Maternal Postpartum Quality of Life Questionnaire. J. Nurs. Meas. 2006;14:205–220. doi: 10.1891/jnm-v14i3a005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bağcı S., Altuntuğ K. Problems experienced by mothers in postpartum period and their associations with quality of life. J. Hum. Sci. 2016;13:3266–3279. doi: 10.14687/jhs.v13i2.3884. - DOI
    1. Jomeen J., Martin C. Perinatal quality of life: Is it important for childbearing women? Pract. Midwife. 2012;15:30–34. - PubMed
    1. Van der Woude D.A., Pijnenborg J.M., de Vries J. Health status and quality of life in postpartum women: A systematic review of associated factors. Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 2015;185:45–52. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2014.11.041. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources