ArticleBMJ open2023
Postpartum stress in the first 6 months after delivery: a longitudinal study in Nantong, China.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Women's Postpartum Experiences of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study of Barriers and Enablers to Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Trial
- Depression, anxiety, and stress across the perinatal period: longitudinal trends and associations with adverse outcomes : Article Type: Original Paper.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Article
- The Impact of Stress on Women's Sexuality in the First Months After Childbirth-A Pilot Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Assessment of Postpartum Stress Using the Maternal Postpartum Stress Scale (MPSS) in Spanish Women.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe objective is to to explore the longitudinal change trajectories of postpartum stress and its related factors.
designA longitudinal study with follow-ups from 42 days to 6 months after delivery. SETTINGS AND
participantsA total of 406 postpartum women were recruited at baseline (42 days after delivery) from 6 hospitals in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China, and followed up at 3 and 6 months. After the follow-ups, 358 postpartum women were retained for further analysis.
methodsPostpartum stress was evaluated using the Maternal Postpartum Stress Scale (MPSS) at baseline (42 days) and 3 and 6 months after delivery. MPSS has three dimensions, such as: personal needs and fatigue, infant nurturing and body changes and sexuality. Postpartum depression and anxiety were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the short-form Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, respectively. The MPSS scores were normalised using a rank-based inverse normal transformation.
resultsPostpartum stress decreased significantly after 3 months, and postpartum stress reduced further after 6 months. Additionally, the scores for all three dimensions reduced after 6 months, while infant nurturing reduced after both 3 and 6 months. Older age (β=0.028, p=0.049), higher education level (β=0.153, p=0.005) and higher body mass index (BMI) (β=0.027, p=0.008) of the postpartum women were significantly associated with higher postpartum stress levels in corresponding dimensions at 42 days. Older age was also associated with higher postpartum stress at 3 (β=0.030, p=0.033) and 6 months (β=0.050, p<0.001) in the dimension of personal needs and fatigue. Postpartum stress levels were significantly higher in women with depression or anxiety symptoms.
conclusionsPostpartum stress continuously declined from 42 days to 6 months after delivery. Postpartum women with older age, higher education levels, higher BMI and anxiety or depression symptoms should be the target population for early intervention.
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