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Maternal well-being in the postpartum period: The mediating role of breastfeeding self-efficacy, sleep quality, and husband’s support

Sesmi O.N. Oktavia(1), Jayasree S. Kanathasan(2),


(1) Lincoln University College, Malaysia; Pasaman Barat Midwifery Academy, Indonesia.
(2) Lincoln University College, Malaysia
Corresponding Author

Abstract


Maternal health postpartum is important for both maternal and infant health. Support from husbands is a major factor but its role is still not well understood in our cultural context, in Pariaman, Indonesia. The relationship between husband support and maternal well-being with the mediation of breastfeeding self-efficacy and sleep quality was also an area for investigation in this study. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the months between March to August 202143 among postpartum women in urban and semi-urban areas of Pariaman City, West Sumatra. Validated questionnaires such as the Husband’s Support Scale for Postpartum Mothers, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and WHO-5 Well-Being Index were used to measure data analysed by Pearson correlation (cr) and Structural Equation Modeling with bootstrapping. Husband’s support was significantly associated with breastfeeding self-efficacy (r = 0.54) and maternal well-being (r = 0.49), and negative with poor sleep (r = –0.41; all p < 0.01). The model showed a moderate direct effect of husband’s support on well-being (β = 0.28, p < 0.008) and indirect effects mediated by breastfeeding self-efficacy (β = 0.19) and sleep quality (β = 0.15), accounting for 42% of the variance in well-being. The findings of this study underline that involvement of husband correlates with better well-being of the mother in terms of increased confidence about breastfeeding and better sleep quality

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