THE IMPACT OF THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP AND INFANT TEMPERAMENT ON SYMPTOM DISTRESS IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD.
Contributors: University of California, San Francisco.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 140
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, General.
Description: Researchers have demonstrated that childbirth and the early postpartum period can be highly stressful for the new mother. Most studies exploring disruptions in postpartum adaptation have a narrow focus on symptoms that includes depression. Little is known about the significance of other symptoms resulting in distress for mothers, particularly in relation to precipitating factors such as marital adjustment and difficult infant temperament. A broader perspective to understanding the distress associated with psychological symptoms during the postpartum needs to be addressed. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent of global symptom distress occurring during pregnancy and postpartum in relation to contributing factors of mother's and father's perception of the marriage and infant temperament.

A convenience sample of primarily white, high school educated, married couples (N = 106) were recruited from Northern California childbirth classes and prenatal care settings. The final sample consisted of 95 couples. Perception of the marriage during pregnancy and postpartum was measured by Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Infant temperament was measured by Bate's Infant Characteristic Questionnaire. Global symptom distress was measured by Derogatis' SCL-90-R Global Severity Index.

Analysis using paired t-tests to compare levels of symptom distress at 34-36 weeks of pregnancy, and at 6-8 weeks postpartum showed a significant (p $<$.001) difference with higher levels experienced by mothers during the pregnancy assessment. A significant (p =.01) difference was also found between fathers' perceptions of the marriage at the two assessment points, but the hypothesis of a more negative marital appraisal by mother's during postpartum was not supported. In separate multiple regression analyses, both mothers' perception of the marriage and infant temperament during postpartum each contributed a significant (p $<$.05) percentage of explained variance in postpartum symptom distress after controlling for pregnancy symptom distress.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-07, Section: B, page: 3402.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, 1992.

School code: 0034.