Table 3. Domestic decision-making power, social support, and postpartum depressive and physical symptoms (N = 407).
| Immigrant women (n = 177) mean (SD) | Native women (n = 230) mean (SD) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| During pregnancy (2nd or 3rd trimester) | |||
| Domestic decision-making power (total scale) | 28.72 (7.630) | 30.73 (5.522) | 0.003** |
| Over personal matters | 17.02 (4.722) | 17.26 (3.255) | 0.573 |
| Over child and family matters | 11.69 (3.794) | 13.47 (2.677) | <0.001*** |
| Social support (total scale) | 31.56 (9.112) | 33.13 (7.307) | 0.062 |
| Emotional support | 11.24 (3.379) | 11.50 (2.777) | 0.402 |
| Instrumental support | 10.29 (3.910) | 11.20 (3.232) | 0.013* |
| Informational support | 10.03 (3.812) | 10.43 (2.952) | 0.252 |
| After delivery (at 3 months postpartum) | |||
| Postpartum depressive symptoms | 6.19 (6.091) | 7.71 (5.732) | 0.010* |
| Postpartum severity of physical symptoms | 5.15 (4875) | 7.26 (5.466) | <0.001*** |
| Physical symptom | n (%) | n (%) | |
| Headache | 44 (24.9%) | 64 (27.8%) | 0.501 |
| Backache | 113 (63.8%) | 176 (76.5%) | 0.005** |
| Dizziness | 45 (25.4%) | 73 (31.7%) | 0.164 |
| Hemorrhoids | 57 (32.2%) | 77 (33.5%) | 0.789 |
| Constipation | 58 (32.8%) | 96 (41.7%) | 0.064 |
| Urinary incontinence | 12 (6.8%) | 60 (26.1%) | <0.001*** |
| Urinary tract infections | 8 (4.5%) | 11 (4.8%) | 0.901 |
| Vaginal infections | 18 (10.2%) | 51 (22.2%) | 0.001** |
| Joint pain | 53 (29.9%) | 85 (37.0%) | 0.138 |
| Poor sleep quality or insomnia | 107 (60.5%) | 146 (63.5%) | 0.533 |
| Excessive leucorrhea or vaginal discharges | 37 (20.9%) | 80 (34.8%) | 0.002** |
| Excessive vaginal bleeding | 7 (4.0%) | 16 (7.0%) | 0.194 |
| Numbness in the hands | 35 (19.8%) | 65 (28.3%) | 0.049* |
| Numbness in the feet | 19 (10.7%) | 48 (20.9%) | 0.006** |
| Cold hands and/or feet | 27 (15.3%) | 64 (27.8%) | 0.003** |
| Varicose veins on legs | 9 (5.1%) | 49 (21.3%) | <0.001*** |
| More colds than usual | 25 (14.1%) | 42 (18.3%) | 0.265 |
*p<0.05
**p<0.01
***p<0.001