Maternal functioning status in the first year after childbirth and its predictors in Iranian mothers

Maternal functioning in the first year after childbirth is vital for both mother and infant health. During this period, mothers often face various physical, psychological, and social challenges that may affect their ability to function effectively. Given the limited research on the status of maternal functioning and its predictors, particularly using a comprehensive instrument and within a 12-month postpartum period in Iran, this study aimed to assess maternal functioning status in the first year after childbirth and its predictors in Iranian mothers.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 503 mothers in the first year after childbirth in the cities of Tehran and Semnan with two-stage stratified cluster sampling. The data was collected using questionnaire of demographic characteristics of mothers and newborns and the five-factor Persian version of Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF) and analysed using SPSS version 25.

The mean and standard deviation of the general score of mothers' maternal functioning was (78.05 ±11.11). Mothers obtained the highest mean score in the infant care subscale (87.05 ± 16.52) and the lowest mean score in the maternal psychological well-being subscale (53.46± 27.45). The variable of postpartum maternal complications was the only predictive factor for the general state of maternal functioning after childbirth (P < 0.001, B = 3.709). This variable had a predictive role for all subscales of maternal functioning except the infant care subscale. Also, the mother's education level variable for the subscales of Maternal Psychological Well-being and Infant Care, the infant feeding method variable for the subscales of Infant Care and self-care, and the mother's job variable for the subscales of Satisfaction with Maternal Competence and self-care have been predictive factors.

In this study, Maternal functioning status after childbirth has been evaluated as strong, but this state is still far from its ideal level and requires interventions for improvement. Postpartum maternal complications, along with child feeding method, mother's level of education, and job, have a predictive role for maternal functioning status and its subscales. Therefore, special attention should be paid to these predictive factors to strengthen and improve the state of maternal function after childbirth.