TY - JOUR
T1 - Maternal wellbeing of Malaysian mothers after the birth of a preterm infant
AU - Jones, Liz
AU - Mariapun, Jeevitha
AU - Tan, Abbey Xiao Qian
AU - Kassim, Zaid
AU - Su, Tin Tin
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge JCSMHS, Monash University for the School Collaborative Grant funding provided for this project. The Mother and Infant of the SEACO Segamat Project (MISS-P) is conducted by the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO)'s core funding, supported by Monash University Clayton and Malaysia campuses and the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/7/13
Y1 - 2023/7/13
N2 - Background: In Malaysia approximately 7% of births result in a preterm birth (< 37 weeks). Research in many other countries has found that mothers of preterm infants experience poorer psychological wellbeing. However, there has been limited research in Malaysia. We examined wellbeing, using the WHO Quality of Life brief version questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), in mothers who have preterm and full-term infants. Methods: Data was collected as part of the South East Asian Community Observatory MISS-P project. A total of 3221 mothers (7.9% with a preterm and 92.1 with a full-term birth) completed a survey, with a range of measures, including the WHOQoL-BREF and sociodemographic questions. Results: For the physical health, psychological wellbeing and quality of their environment WHOQOL-BREF domains, a lower gestational age, a lower education level, and having had an emergency caesarean delivery were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with a lower quality of life, and there was a weak effect for ethnicity for some domains. The effects were strongest for mothers’ education level. Conclusions: There is a weak but significant relationship between the gestational age of an infant and the mother’s quality of life. Mothers in Malaysia with a preterm infant or a lower level of education may benefit from additional support.
AB - Background: In Malaysia approximately 7% of births result in a preterm birth (< 37 weeks). Research in many other countries has found that mothers of preterm infants experience poorer psychological wellbeing. However, there has been limited research in Malaysia. We examined wellbeing, using the WHO Quality of Life brief version questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), in mothers who have preterm and full-term infants. Methods: Data was collected as part of the South East Asian Community Observatory MISS-P project. A total of 3221 mothers (7.9% with a preterm and 92.1 with a full-term birth) completed a survey, with a range of measures, including the WHOQoL-BREF and sociodemographic questions. Results: For the physical health, psychological wellbeing and quality of their environment WHOQOL-BREF domains, a lower gestational age, a lower education level, and having had an emergency caesarean delivery were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with a lower quality of life, and there was a weak effect for ethnicity for some domains. The effects were strongest for mothers’ education level. Conclusions: There is a weak but significant relationship between the gestational age of an infant and the mother’s quality of life. Mothers in Malaysia with a preterm infant or a lower level of education may benefit from additional support.
KW - Maternal wellbeing, Preterm infant, Social support, Malaysia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164847179&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12884-023-05823-y
DO - 10.1186/s12884-023-05823-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 37442958
AN - SCOPUS:85164847179
SN - 1471-2393
VL - 23
JO - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
JF - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
IS - 1
M1 - 510
ER -
