Taiwanese maternal health in the postpartum nursing centre.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between postpartum stress as well as social support and the general health status of women recently discharged from postpartum nursing centres where the ritual of Tso-Yueh-Tzu is followed.


BACKGROUND
Taiwanese women stay in postpartum nursing centres to take care of their newborn babies and perform the traditional Chinese ritual of Tso-Yueh-Tzu, the custom of a postpartum month-long rest.


METHODS
A non-experimental research design was used in the study.


METHODS
Two hundred and fifty-eight postpartum women who had stayed in postpartum nursing centres for at least 20 days were recruited at eight postpartum nursing centres in the Kaohsiung metropolitan area of southern Taiwan. They were administered the Hung Postpartum Stress Scale, the Social Support Scale and the Chinese Health Questionnaire.


RESULTS
Women without minor psychiatric morbidity had higher social support, lower postpartum stress and longer length-of-stays in the postpartum care centre than women with minor psychiatric morbidity. Postpartum stress revolved around changes in body shape. A one-point increase in postpartum stress increased the likelihood that a mother would suffer minor psychiatric morbidity by 1.04 times; while giving birth to a boy decreased that likelihood by 0.51 times.


CONCLUSIONS
This study found Tso-Yueh-Tzu as practised in postpartum nursing centres gave the postpartum women the opportunity to receive tangible support and, therefore, helped decrease postpartum stress and improved their general health. The greatest source of postpartum stress was concern over negative body changes.


CONCLUSIONS
The postpartum nursing centre plays an important role in helping postpartum Taiwanese women observe the traditional ritual of Tso-Yueh-Tzu and in improving these women's general health. These centres may want to pay more attention to providing exercise that promotes body toning and relaxation.
Hung
Chich-Hsiu
CH
School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 80708, Taiwan. chhung@kmu.edu.tw
Yu
Ching-Yun
CY
Ou
Chu-Chun
CC
Liang
Wei-Wen
WW
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007380:Intermediate Care Facilities; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011181:Postnatal Care; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013624:Taiwan