title: Postpartum social support of women in Singapore: A pilot study.
abstract: This pilot study aimed to identify the levels of support expected and received by postpartum women in Singapore. Another objective was to compare the different subdomains of social support. A descriptive design was adopted using a self-administered questionnaire comprising demographics and the Postpartum Support Questionnaire. The study took place at a subsidized obstetrics and gynaecology clinic at a restructured hospital in Singapore from the end of December 2009 to the end of February 2010. The 25 participants were 6 to 8 weeks postpartum and had delivered healthy term infants. They were recruited via convenience sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The overall support needs of the participants were met. Only their informational support needs were unmet. Assessing the needs of postpartum women and teaching them how to convey and manage expectations are recommended initiatives for health-care practitioners to consider.
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Koh Ni
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Phang
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Serena Siew Lin
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hui-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011181:Postnatal Care; D012846:Singapore; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: maternal welfare; mothers; postnatal care; postpartum; social support