Comparison of Social Support in the First and Second Month of Postpartum in Multiparous

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Abstract

Introduction: Social support plays an important role in the reduction of postpartum maternal stress and has an influence on the mothers' experiences. Mltiparous mothers need social support because they are faced with new challenges. The aim of this study was to compare the social support received by mothers in the first and second months of postpartum.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 200 multiparous referred to Mashhad health centers in 2010, which were chosen through multistage sampling. Data collection included the pregnancy questionnaire, maternity and baby, social support received in the postpartum period with a maximum score of 760. The content validity and criterion validity (r=0.93) and Cronbach's alpha reliability 0.9 was determined. Data were analyzed using T test.
Result: Mean scores of social support on multiparous in the first and second months were 96.0 and 90.7 respectively. The results of t-test results showed a statistically significant difference (p=0.000) in the mean scores. Social support scores from the first to second month showed a reduction trend.
Conclusion: Based on the declining scores in this study, postpartum support for multiparous in the health centers is seems necessary.

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