Abstract
［Objectives］ To reduce the anxiety of postpartum mothers in relation to child-rearing and everyday life, we carried out a 2-week postpartum health program consisting of a mother–infant health checkup and individual child-rearing counseling provided by midwives. We then investigated the psychological health conditions of mothers at 2-week postpartum and the impacts of the program on maternal psychological health.
［Methods］ We conducted a questionnaire survey before and after the program on participants who provided informed consent. The investigation period was from July 2016 to February 2017. The survey items included basic attributes and scales for assessing maternal psychological health, such as the Childcare Anxiety Scale（14 items）, the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale（MIBS; 10 items）, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale （EPDS; 10 items）. The scale scores before and after the program were then statistically compared. This study was approved by the Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences ethical review committee.
［Results］ We delivered 256 questionnaires among which 170 with complete answers before and after the program were analyzed（response rate: 66.4％）. Although no differences were found in MIBS or EPDS scores between before and after the program, primiparas’ total scores on the Childcare Anxiety Scale was significantly reduced after the program（P＝0.001）. Significant decreases were also seen in the scores for “state of irritation” （P＝0.001） and “childcare anxiety signs”（P＝0.001）, which are subscales of the Childcare Anxiety Scale.
［Conclusion］ The 2-week postpartum health program was effective for reducing primiparas’ anxiety regarding child-rearing.
Conclusion:
