Associations between Coparenting Relationships and Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Negative Bonding to Infant.

Maternal mental illnesses during early postpartum may be caused by lack of the coparenting relationship parents share and cooperate regarding child-rearing. This study clarifies the association of the coparenting relationship and negative mental health of mothers at one and three months after childbirth. This study conducted a secondary analysis of data from an intervention study wherein 24 mothers rearing their first child with a cohabitant (husband/partner) participated. Maternal mental health was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to determine postpartum depressive symptoms and the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale to assess negative bonding. Mothers' average age was 31.5 ± 4.2 years old. All mothers were not working during the research period. The prevalence of postpartum depression and bonding disorder were approximately 13% and 21%, respectively. A better coparenting relationship was associated with lower postpartum depressive symptoms at both one month (ß = -0.617, p = 0.002) and three months (ß = -0.709, p < 0.01) postpartum. In contrast, no association was found between a coparenting relationship and negative bonding. The results indicate that the coparenting relationship may possibly prevent maternal depression during the early postpartum period.

Longitudinal study of physical activity using an accelerometer in Japanese pregnant women.

AIM: To describe the characteristics of objectively measured physical activity (PA) during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy using a accelerometer. METHODS: This was a longitudinal observational study wherein PA in pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters was measured for seven consecutive days using a accelerometer (Silmee W10, TDK, Japan). RESULTS: A total of 34 primiparous women were examined. There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of PA during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. Sub-group analysis demonstrated that PA in the full-time housewife group increased significantly from the 2nd to the 3rd trimester, while total PA and moderate and vigorous PA of the stopped-working group, decreased significantly over that time. There was no difference in the PA of the currently working group between trimesters. In the full-time housewife group, the amount of PA for each hour significantly increased at 12:00, 18:00, and 22:00 hr. In the currently working group, the amount of PA for each hour significantly increased at 9:00, 10:00, and 16:00 hr. In the stopped-working group, the amount of PA for each hour significantly decreased at 7:00, 8:00, and 18:00 hr. CONCLUSION: Objective measurements using an accelerometer did not identify any significant changes in PA during the different trimesters of pregnancy. Sub-group analysis revealed clear patterns in PA change correlating with different lifestyles during pregnancy. Future research may enable the development of personalized health guidance by identifying the relationship between PA and pregnancy outcomes.

Developing a Prenatal Couple Education Program Focusing on Coparenting for Japanese Couples: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Having and raising children can be a source of joy for parents. However, the transition to parenthood is associated with a certain degree of strain and stress, and couple relationship quality often declines during the transition. Coparenting, the shared responsibility of childrearing, benefits both parents and children and is an important aspect of the transition to parenthood. In this quasi-experimental study, we aimed to develop a couple education program in Japan that focuses on coparenting among couples expecting their first child. Twenty-one healthy couples voluntarily participated in the intervention group (n = 16) or the control group (n = 5). Couples in each group could voluntarily participate in standard childbirth education classes. The intervention was a couple education program designed to enhance coparenting and consisted of two interactive classes, including discussions within each couple and watching a short video showing an example of childrearing. We collected outcome measures on childrearing, couple relationship, parental mental health, and child adjustment at 1 month and 3 months after childbirth. Multiple regression analysis was performed and showed positive effects of the intervention on childrearing and child adjustment. Being in the intervention group had a significant positive effect on Coparenting Support scores at 1 month after childbirth (ß = 0.457, p < 0.003, R2 = 0.187) and Soothability scores for child adjustment at 3 months after childbirth (ß =0.429, p < 0.006, R2 = 0.157). In conclusion, we have developed the prenatal education program focusing on coparenting for Japanese couples.

Maternal Gaze Behaviors During Latching-On for Breastfeeding.

BACKGROUND: Studies in various fields have demonstrated that experts use specific gaze strategies to achieve better performance. Therefore, we hypothesized that mothers familiar with breastfeeding would use a specific gaze strategy to achieve better latching-on. METHODS: A head-mounted eye tracker was used to record pupil positions from 14 breastfeeding mothers with 1-month-old infants. Eye gazes were analyzed during the latching-on and assessment phases. RESULTS: During the latching-on phase, participants tended to fixate on their breast, the infant's lower face, an intermediate region between the infant's face and the breast, and the region of contact between the infant's mouth and the breast. Once the infant latched onto the breast, mothers typically assessed the latch by fixating on their breast or the region of contact between the infant's mouth and the breast. The gaze patterns were generally maintained without being influenced by the subtask properties of each phase. CONCLUSION: Similar to previous studies, we found that mothers fixated on specific locations that were relevant to the current breastfeeding subtask, suggesting that the gaze behavior contributes to the execution of latching-on. Therefore, it is important to consider that successful latching-on is influenced by maternal physical movements and efficient gazing behaviors.

Immediate Needs and Concerns among Pregnant Women During and after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

INTRODUCTION: Pregnant and postpartum women are especially vulnerable to natural disasters. These women suffer from increased risk of physical and mental issues including pregnant related problems. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which hit the Philippines affected a large number of people and caused devastating damages. During and after the typhoon, pregnant women were forced to live in particularly difficult circumstances. The purpose of this study was to determine concerns and problems regarding public health needs and coping mechanisms among pregnant women during and shortly after the typhoon. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional design utilizing focus group discussions (FGDs). Participants were 53 women (mean age: 26.6 years old; 42 had children) from four affected communities who were pregnant at the time of the typhoon. FGDs were conducted 4 months after the typhoon, from March 19 to 28, 2014, using semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis. RESULT: Three themes were identified regarding problems and concerns during and after the typhoon: 1) having no ideas what is going to happen during the evacuation, 2) lacking essentials to survive, and 3) being unsure of how to deal with health concerns. Two themes were identified as means of solving issues: 1) finding food for survival and 2) avoiding diseases to save my family. As the pregnant women already had several typhoon experiences without any major problems, they underestimated the catastrophic nature of this typhoon. During the typhoon, the women could not ensure their safety and did not have a strong sense of crisis management. They suffered from hunger, food shortage, and poor sanitation. Moreover, though the women had fear and anxiety regarding their pregnancy, they had no way to resolve these concerns. Pregnant women and their families also suffered from common health problems for which they would usually seek medical services. Under such conditions, the pregnant woman cooperated with others for survival and used their knowledge of disease prevention. DISCUSSION: Pregnant women experienced difficulties with evacuation, a lack of minimum survival needs, and attending to their own health issues. Pregnant women were also concerned about needs and health issues of their families, particular, when they had small children. Collecting accurate information regarding the disaster and conducting self-sustainable preparation prior to the disaster among pregnant women will help them to protect their pregnancy status, thereby improving their families' chance of survival during and after disasters.

Comfort with motherhood in late pregnancy facilitates maternal role attainment in early postpartum.

Quality of life, comfort, and wellbeing during pregnancy are essential for every country in the world. Pregnancy is considered a preparation period for becoming a mother. Maternal role development, including confidence and satisfaction as a mother, is important in the transition to motherhood. Negative psychosocial affect, such as increased anxiety and distress, during pregnancy adversely influences the childbirth experience and childcare, which contributes to postpartum depression. However, the impact of positive feelings on the maternal role development remains unclear. Therefore, the study purpose was to clarify the relationship between comfort in late pregnancy and maternal role attainment and childcare during early postpartum. We designed a descriptive, longitudinal, correlational study by using the Prenatal Comfort Scale, the Postpartum Maternal Role Confidence Scale, and the Postpartum Maternal Satisfaction Scale. Among 339 participants who had received care at a university hospital located in Sendai city in Japan, 215 subjects completed the longitudinal study by answering a questionnaire for the respective Scale late in their pregnancy or during early postpartum. The subjects consisted of 114 primipara (32.0 ± 5.4 years) and 101 multipara (33.4 ± 4.9 years). In primipara, comfort with motherhood was significantly correlated with maternal confidence regarding knowledge and childcare skills and maternal satisfaction. In multipara, comfort in late pregnancy was related to maternal confidence and satisfaction. Positive affect was related to maternal confidence and maternal satisfaction in early postpartum. Therefore, a prenatal nursing intervention helps women become more comfortable with impending motherhood, thereby promoting maternal role attainment after delivery.

Committed to working for the community: experiences of a public health nurse in a remote area during the Great East Japan Earthquake.

We examined the experiences of a public health nurse (PHN) in a rural area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. We used an ethnographic method to obtain in-depth information about her experiences, from which six themes were developed. The PHN risked her life to protect members of the community, but she remained anxious to see her own young children as soon as possible. Nevertheless, she was strongly committed to helping community members and continued to work for them. We suggest creating a practical system to allow PHNs to obtain information about the safety of their own families during a disaster.

Cross-sectional online survey of research productivity in young Japanese nursing faculty.

AIM: To investigate the factors affecting the research productivity of young nursing faculty in Japan. METHODS: An online survey targeting young nursing scholars (aged ≤ 39 years) who were members of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science was conducted from October to November 2012. Of 1634 potential respondents, 648 completed the survey (39.7%), and 400 full-time faculty of a baccalaureate degree program were selected for the analysis. The numbers of English-language and Japanese publications in the past 3 years were regressed onto personal characteristics, such as academic degree and type of university. RESULTS: The mean numbers of publications in English and Japanese in the past 3 years were 0.41 and 1.63, respectively. Holding a doctoral degree was significantly related to a higher number of publications in English and Japanese (e(ß) = 5.78 and e(ß) = 1.89, respectively). Working at a national university (e(ß) = 2.15), having a research assistant (e(ß) = 2.05), and the ability to read research articles in English (e(ß) = 2.27) were significantly related to more English-language publications. Having the confidence to conduct quantitative research (e(ß) = 1.67) was related to a larger number of Japanese publications. The lack of mentoring (e(ß) = 0.97) and university workload (e(ß) = 0.96) were associated with a lesser number of Japanese publications. CONCLUSION: The research productivity of young nursing faculty appeared to be quite low. Strategies to enhance research productivity in young nursing faculty, such as encouraging the achievement of a doctoral degree or enrichment of research resources, should be undertaken.

Remote community-based public health nursing during a disaster: an ethnographic case study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011 generated a tsunami that directly struck Japan. Public health nurses (PHNs) played important roles in this disaster response and community recovery. This research identified a PHN's experience in an affected area. METHODS: An ethnographic case study approach was used to obtain in-depth information regarding the experiences of one PHN, using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and statistical documents. RESULTS: Six themes were identified and explored, including that the PHN undertook overwhelming responsibilities to protect the local residents, made several autonomous decisions, and had a strong sense of mission. These were based on the relationship-building that occurred with the local residents due to the geographical characteristics and her own preparations. CONCLUSIONS: The findings encourage PHNs to participate in simulations of disasters in preparation for major catastrophes and establish good collaborative efforts with residents by being a part of the community.

Assessment of quality of life in pregnant Japanese women: comparison of hospitalized, outpatient, and non-pregnant women.

This cross-sectional study explored the comfort and quality of life in hospitalized, preterm, pregnant women compared with pregnant outpatients, and identified the relationship between comfort, quality of life, and hospitalization. Two-hundred-and-twenty-one hospitalized pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from obstetric units, and 1015 outpatient pregnant women were recruited from obstetric outpatient units in Japan. The women were questioned on six domains of the Japanese Short-Form-36 version 2 (bodily pain, general health, vitality, role emotional, social functioning, and mental health) and on their subjective comfort. A total of 189 hospitalized pregnant women and 503 low-risk pregnant women were analyzed. Subjective comfort and all six domains of health-related quality of life showed significantly lower scores for hospitalized women than outpatient women (P < 0.05-0.001). The mean differences in social functioning and role-emotional domains between the two groups were particularly marked. The result of this study suggests that these patients require positive psychological support to improve their comfort and quality of life.

Relationship between menopausal symptoms and menopausal status in Australian and Japanese women: preliminary analysis.

The main aim of the present study was to explore the midlife experience for women living in Australia and Japan. The specific objectives of the study included: (i) comparing menopausal symptoms between the two groups; and (ii) comparing the factor structure of symptoms and exploring their relationship to menopausal status. Postal questionnaires were distributed to two structured, random population based samples of midlife women aged 45-60 years; consisting of 712 women living in Australia and 1502 women living in Japan. Analysis showed significant differences in menopausal symptoms related to psychological symptoms (P < 0.001), including anxiety (P < 0.001) and depression (P < 0.001), somatic symptoms (P < 0.001), and vasomotor symptoms (P < 0.01). The analysis, which excluded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users, found that there were significant differences seen across menopausal status in the following symptoms: difficulty in sleeping (P < 0.01), difficulty in concentrating (P < 0.01), feeling dizzy or faint (P < 0.001), loss of interest in most things (P < 0.01) and loss of feeling in hands or feet (P < 0.001). In the postmenopausal stage specifically, significant differences were seen in the areas of feeling tense or nervous (P < 0.01), feeling unhappy or depressed (P < 0.01), parts of body feeling numb or tingling (P < 0.05), headaches (P < 0.01), and sweating at night (P < 0.05). Our analysis revealed that the experience of menopause for women is different between Australian and Japanese women.