title: Postpartum cultural practices are negatively associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant mothers married to Taiwanese men.
abstract: The objectives of researchers in this study were to examine acceptance and adherence to mainstream Taiwanese postpartum cultural practices and their association with postpartum depressive symptoms among Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant mothers married to Taiwanese men. While the postpartum cultural practices in China are similar to mainstream Taiwanese practices, those of Vietnam differ from Taiwanese practices. This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Taiwan from October 2007 through March 2008, and included190 immigrant mothers from China and Vietnam who had delivered a child within the past year. Immigrant mothers from China had higher levels of acceptance and adherence to mainstream Taiwanese postpartum cultural practices and a lower rate of postpartum depressive symptoms than immigrant mothers from Vietnam, but the association between adherence to "doing-the-month" practices and postpartum depressive symptoms did not vary significantly between Chinese and Vietnamese mothers. Adherence to these practices was negatively associated with postpartum depressive symptoms among immigrant mothers (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90-0.96) after adjustment for social support, duration between moving to Taiwan and delivery, and country of origin. Adherence to mainstream postpartum cultural practices was negatively associated with postpartum depressive symptoms for both Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant women married to Taiwanese men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Ling
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chen-Jei
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: Tsai-Wei
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ching-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Li-Yin
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chien
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult