Emotional well-being of Vietnamese immigrant women during the transition to motherhood: A descriptive cohort study

Ying Tsao, Debra Kay Creedy, Jenny Gamble

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study investigated the health and well-being of Vietnamese foreign brides recently immigrated to southern Taiwan. Forty-four participants were recruited during pregnancy and 23 were followed-up at six weeks post-partum. Standardized measures completed during face-to-face interviews revealed high levels of life stress, poor general health, low social support, and difficulty caring for their infant amongst participants. Estimated prevalence of probable antenatal depression was 32%, and 26% for probable post-partum depression using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores of ≥13. Probable antenatal depression predicted postnatal depression. Pregnant immigrant women experienced a high level of difficult life circumstances and were significantly more likely to develop depressive symptoms after birth. Immigrant women with low social support during pregnancy were also more likely to report higher EPDS scores than well-supported women. Given these results, prevention and intervention activities are needed to promote maternal psychological well-being in disadvantaged women, especially immigrant brides.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)49-56
Number of pages8
JournalNursing and Health Sciences
Volume17
Issue number1
Early online date16 Mar 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2015
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Keywords

  • Antenatal depression
  • Difficult life circumstances
  • Immigrant women
  • Postnatal depression
  • Social support
  • Taiwan
  • Transition to motherhood

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Emotional well-being of Vietnamese immigrant women during the transition to motherhood: A descriptive cohort study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this