title: Mental health problems and influencing factors in Japanese women 4 months after delivery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postpartum mental health problems are a major public health issue; however, studies on the mental health status of mothers and its influencing factors between 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum are scarce. Furthermore, it would be necessary to examine the factors influencing mothers' mental health in order to evaluate their physiological adaptations to the nursing environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the mental health status of postpartum women and the factors influencing poor mental health at 4 months after delivery. A cross-sectional study of 584 postpartum women was conducted. Information on mental health status, delivery, and other factors was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Women were asked about their age, height, weight, gestational or marital status, whether they were eating regular meals, appetite, frequency of going out, financial difficulty, stressful life events, and history of depression. The Japanese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to identify potential poor mental health status. Participants with GHQ-12 scores of ≥4 were classified as the high GHQ-12 score group (poor mental health status) and participants with GHQ-12 scores of ≤3 were classified as the low GHQ-12 score group (good mental health status).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-five women (7.7%) were classified as having high GHQ-12 scores. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that older age, not eating meals regularly, and history of depression were significantly associated with poor mental health. Financial difficulty had a borderline association with poor mental health in this model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These risk factors might help practitioners identify women at high risk of poor mental health after delivery.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-12-4, Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan. yasuyo-a@nagasaki-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akahoshi
authors.forename: Kazuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult