Cesarean section in relation to self-esteem and parenting among new mothers in southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Maternal psychopathology and self-esteem during childbirth may have an effect on maternal parenting self-efficacy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to asses the self-esteem of newly delivered primiparous mothers who had cesarean section (CS) in relation to their parenting self-efficacy. METHODS: A total of 115 primiparous women who delivered by CS were compared with 97 matched controls who had vaginal delivery during the same period. They completed the Rosenberg self-esteem scale prior to discharge. They also completed the parent-child relationship questionnaire at six weeks postpartum, together with the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. RESULTS: The mean score on the Rosenberg self-esteem scale was significantly lower for the CS group, both prior to discharge (p = 0.006) and at six weeks (p < 0.001), than the vaginal delivery group. The mean score on the parent-child relationship questionnaire was also lower in those who had CS compared with those who had vaginal delivery (p < 0.001, OR 4.71, 95% CI 1.75-14.71). CONCLUSION: CS in Nigerian women is associated with lowered self-esteem and predicts poor parenting self-efficacy in the postnatal period. Psychological support and techniques to improve self-esteem and parenting should be incorporated into the management of women having CS.

The effect of caesarean section on self-esteem amongst primiparous women in South-Western Nigeria: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the level of self-esteem of newly delivered mothers who had caesarean section (CS) and evaluate the sociodemographic and obstetrics correlates of low self-esteem in them. METHODS: Newly delivered mothers who had CS (n = 109) and who had spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) (n = 97) completed questionnaires on sociodemographic and obstetrics variables within 1 week of delivery. They also completed the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. RESULTS. Women with CS had statistically significant lower scores on the self-esteem scale than women with SVD (p = 0.006). Thirty (27.5%) of the CS group were classified as having low self-esteem compared with 11 (11.3%) of the SVD group (p = 004). The correlates of low self-esteem in the CS group included polygamy (odd ratio (OR) 4.99, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.62-15.33) and emergency CS (OR 4.66, 95% CI 1.55-16.75). CONCLUSIONS: CS in South-Western Nigerian women is associated with lowered self-esteem in the mothers.