Psychological distress, depression, anxiety, stress, and exercise in Australian and New Zealand mothers: A cross-sectional survey

The SAFE study: Stress and fatigue control by exercise: Acute and long-term effects of aerobic exercise in lactating employed mothers

BACKGROUND

Stress and fatigue experienced by lactating employed mothers can affect mothers' and babies' mental and physical health detrimentally. Aerobic exercise is known to control stress and fatigue, but the dosages of the exercises needed to maintain long-term effects are still under investigation.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the acute and long-term effects of aerobic exercise on controlling stress and fatigue in lactating, employed mothers.

METHODS

This randomized control study involved sixty lactating, employed mothers suffering from stress and fatigue. They were divided into two groups: Group A received five sessions of 30-minute aerobic training on a treadmill per week, in addition to lifestyle modification advice for six weeks. Group B received the same lifestyle routine advice for the same duration without being trained. Assessments of stress and fatigue levels were done before, after 6 weeks, and after 6 months from the baseline assessments using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), respectively.

RESULTS

Post-six-week comparisons within and between both groups showed a significant decline in PSS-10 and FAS in group A compared with group B (p < 0.001); however, after six months of follow-up, there were statistically significant effects within groups only (p < 0.05) and no statistically significant difference between groups at both variables (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Aerobic exercises for 6 weeks can induce an acute but not long-term effect on stress and fatigue control in lactating-employed mothers. Future research is needed to tailor the exercise prescription needed to maintain training's long-term benefits.

How do infant feeding method, sleeping location, and postpartum depression interact with maternal sleep quality?

New mothers generally experience poor and/or disrupted sleep. A range of infant care and mental health factors may impact new mothers' sleep quality. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by a sample of 101 Australian new mothers with children under 12 months (M = 5.52 months, SD = 3.29 months) to examine the relationship between infant feeding method, infant sleeping location, and postpartum depression with maternal sleep quality. Subjective maternal sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and postpartum depression was measured using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Overall, new mothers experienced poor subjective sleep quality, with high average PSQI scores, above the cut-off of 5 (M = 9.63, SD = 4.07). The majority of new mothers did not experience postpartum depression, with an average EPDS score below the cut-off of 11 (8.66, SD = 5.20). Mothers who breastfed their infants experienced significantly better subjective sleep quality than mothers who bottle-fed, with a medium effect size (ηp2 = 0.458). Subjective maternal sleep quality did not differ based on infant sleeping location. Poor subjective maternal sleep quality was a significant predictor of postpartum depression. While poor sleep was common in this sample of Australian new mothers, this study demonstrated that new mothers who breastfeed may experience slightly better subjective sleep quality than other feeding methods. Further research into, and better services for the education and advocation of, new mothers' sleep quality will be beneficial to both new mothers and clinicians.

Analysis of status quo and research progress in nursing of postpartum fatigue: a literature review

Postpartum fatigue is an important issue that threatens women’s health. The incidence of postpartum fatigue is high. Failure to intervene in time may lead to adverse outcomes such as postpartum depression, premature termination of breastfeeding, child abuse, and low infant development. This article reviews the concepts, characteristics, related factors, adverse effects, and interventions of postpartum fatigue. The aim is to improve doctors’ and nurses’ awareness of on postpartum fatigue in pregnant women, enrich the research content and methods, stimulate the interest of nurses, and actively carry out targeted intervention research to prevent or reduce the occurrence of adverse outcomes.

Effectiveness of aerobic gymnastic exercise on stress, fatigue, and sleep quality during postpartum: A pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Gymnastics is a preferable safe exercise for postnatal women performing regularly.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to determine whether the aerobic gymnastic exercise improves stress, fatigue, sleep quality and depression in postpartum women.

DESIGN

Single-blinded, randomized controlled trial held from December 2014 until September 2015.

SETTING

Postnatal clinic of a medical center in southern Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

140 eligible postnatal women were systematically assigned, with a random start to experimental (n=70) or a control (n=70) group.

INTERVENTIONS

Engage in aerobic gymnastic exercise at least three times (15min per section) a week for three months using compact disc in the home.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Perceived Stress Scale, Postpartum Fatigue Scale, Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

RESULTS

In a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures, the aerobic gymnastic exercise group showed significant decrease in fatigue after practicing exercise 4 weeks and the positive effects extended to the 12-week posttests. Paired t-tests revealed that aerobic gymnastic exercise participants had improved significantly in perceived stress and fatigue after 4 weeks gymnastic exercise; these positive effects extended to the 12-week posttests. In addition, the changes in physical symptoms-related sleep inefficiency after 12 weeks gymnastic exercise were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The findings can be used to encourage postnatal women to perform moderate-intensity gymnastic exercise in their daily life to reduce their stress, fatigue and improve sleep quality.

Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs, Self-Determined Exercise Motivation, and Psychological Well-Being in Mothers Exercising in Group-Based Versus Individual-Based Contexts

We compared mothers who exercised predominantly in group settings, those who exercised predominantly in individual settings, and those who exercised equally in group and individual contexts among the following: (a) satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness); (b) self-determined exercise motivation; and (c) psychological well-being. With clear implications for mothers' exercise interventions we found that exercising either predominantly in group contexts or in mixed group and individual settings was associated with mothers having significantly higher satisfaction of basic psychological needs and self-determined exercise motivation than those exercising predominantly alone.