Assessing stress and coping in pregnancy and postpartum

Area of Science:

• Perinatal mental health
• Psychological assessment
• Maternal well-being

Background:

• Accurate measurement of stress and coping is crucial for pregnant and postpartum women.
• Existing questionnaires require evaluation for suitability in perinatal populations.
• Understanding maternal psychological states informs interventions and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate questionnaire measures of stress and coping for pregnant and postpartum women.
• To identify valid and reliable instruments for assessing perinatal psychological constructs.
• To provide a resource for researchers studying maternal stress and coping.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and evaluation of existing stress and coping measures.
• Discussion of validity, reliability, benefits, and drawbacks of each measure for perinatal use.
• Examination of constructs including stress, infant demands, social support, coping, and repressive coping style.

Main Results:

• Delineation of measurement issues and appropriate measures for perinatal stress and coping.
• Discussion of the strengths and limitations of each assessed tool.
• Provision of available norms for female and obstetric samples.

Conclusions:

• The paper serves as a valuable resource for selecting appropriate measures in perinatal mental health research.
• Informed selection of instruments can enhance the quality and impact of research on maternal stress and coping.
• Further research utilizing validated measures is essential for improving maternal and infant outcomes.