Associations of sociodemographic, livelihood, maternal and infant factors with maternal emotional experiences during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
Movement Controlled Order in Malaysia during COVID-19 has prompted many restrictions and changes in policies and management in public and government entities, including healthcare providers. As postpartum mothers are vulnerable, pandemic situations may have an impact on maternity and infant care,...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116762/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116762/1/116762.pdf |
| Summary: | Movement Controlled Order in Malaysia during COVID-19 has prompted many
restrictions and changes in policies and management in public and government entities,
including healthcare providers. As postpartum mothers are vulnerable, pandemic
situations may have an impact on maternity and infant care, influencing maternal mental
health. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the associations of
sociodemographic characteristics, pandemic livelihood impact, birth and postnatal
experiences, maternal activities, and infant feeding behaviours with maternal emotional
experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. An online survey was
completed by 1449 mothers with ≤18 month’s infants from July 2020 to February 2021.
The study information was disseminated through social media using convenience
sampling. The majority of mothers were Malay (71.4%), attained bachelor degree
(44.6%) and had monthly income <RM4000 (43.5%). Worried (54.7%), annoyed
(48.1%), and tired (42.2%) were the top negative maternal emotions. Negative emotions
and coping were emotional outcomes of principal component analysis of maternal
experiences. Predictors of maternal negative emotions and coping were determined using
multiple linear regression. Younger, more educated, rent-burdened, husbandunemployed,
exercised, had postnatal care person, and experienced less evenly divided
house chores predicted negative emotions (all p<.05). Conversely, positive predictors
were mothers who received support on their well-being and feeding, had more time to
focus on health, had infants sleeping less, and no infant behavioural change (all p<.05).
Furthermore, mothers with a higher income, an unpaid leave partner, friend support,
traditional postpartum care, more evenly divided house chores, and time to focus on
health coped better (all p<.05). However, mothers who struggled to pay essentials
predicted poor coping (p=.023). In conclusion, there were multiple negative and positive
associations of sociodemographic, livelihood and mother-infant factors with maternal
emotional experiences. Thus, early mental health screening during postnatal check-ups
is recommended, and coping intervention should incorporate knowledge, skills, and
support. |
|---|