SUBJECTIVE SATISFACTION OF MOTHERS WITH PARTNER SUPPORT DURING POSTPARTUM PERIOD

Abstract

Background: The postpartum period is a challenging life experience for a woman, during which the mother has to cope with a new role and the changes that motherhood brings. One of the important factors that can influence the process of adaptation is also sufficient and adequate support from loved ones. One of the main sources of such support is the spouse/partner of the new mother. The main goal of our research was to identify the social support of mothers provided by the partner in the postpartum period and to verify the influence of selected factors on subjective satisfaction with this support. Methods: The research sample consisted of 179 respondents (from 6 weeks up to 18 months after birth). The mean age of the respondents was 30.97�4.03 years. A questionnaire consisting of two parts was used for data collection: the first contained a self-designed questionnaire focused on basic demographic data, sources of social support, the occurrence of conflicts with the partner and satisfaction with the support from the partner; the second part was the Couples Satisfaction Index � CSI. Descriptive and inductive statistical methods were used. Results: The main sources of social support in the postpartum were partner (51.4%) and woman�s mother (38,5%). Most mothers were satisfied with social support provided by their partners (87.8%). When analyzing the influence of various factors on subjective satisfaction with partner support, only higher education (p = 0.001), planned pregnancy (p = 0.009) and overall satisfaction with partner life (p=0.001) showed a significant positive correlation. Age, length of relationship and conflicts with the partner did not have a significant effect on the mother's satisfaction with the partner's support. Conclusions: Social support plays an important role for a woman in the psychosocial adaptation of the mother's role and has a protective effect on a woman from pregnancy to the period after childbirth. A good, supportive relationship can contribute to a better postpartum condition of mothers and newborns, so it is important to focus attention on women's partners, who are the most important and most common source of social support for women.