The direct and mediating effect of social support on health-related quality of life during pregnancy among Australian women

Bedaso, A; Adams, J; Peng, W; Sibbritt, D

The direct and mediating effect of social support on health-related quality of life during pregnancy among Australian women

Bedaso, A Adams, J Peng, W Sibbritt, D

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Publisher:: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23, (1)

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Bedaso, A
dc.contributor.author	Adams, J
dc.contributor.author	Peng, W
dc.contributor.author	Sibbritt, D
dc.date.accessioned	2023-05-23T12:12:43Z
dc.date.available	2023-05-23T12:12:43Z
dc.identifier.citation	BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23, (1)
dc.identifier.issn	1471-2393
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/170421
dc.description.abstract	<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>Prenatal stress can have a negative effect on the quality of life (QoL) of pregnant women. Social support plays a vital role in improving the psychological well-being of pregnant women by enhancing their stress-coping ability. The current study assessed the association between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as well as the mediating role of social support in the linkage between perceived stress and HRQoL among pregnant Australian women.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>Secondary data was obtained from 493 women who reported being pregnant in survey six of the 1973–78 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH). Social support and perceived stress were assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Index (MOS-SSS-19) and the Perceived Stress Scale, respectively. The Mental Component Scale (MCS) and Physical Component Scale (PCS) of the SF-36 were used to examine the mental and physical HRQoL. A mediation model was used to examine the mediating effect of social support in the relationship between perceived stress and HRQoL. A multivariate quantile regression (QR) model was used to assess the association between social support and HRQoL after adjusting for potential confounders.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Result</jats:title> <jats:p>The mean age of the pregnant women was 35.8 years. The mediational analysis revealed that emotional/informational support (β= <jats:bold>-</jats:bold>1.53; 95% CI: -2.36, -0.78), tangible support (β= -0.64; 95% CI: -1.29, -0.09), and affectionate support/positive social interaction (β= <jats:bold>-</jats:bold>1.33; 95% CI: -2.25, -0.48), played a significant mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and mental health-related QoL. In addition, perceived stress had a significant indirect effect on mental health-related QoL through overall social support (β = -1.38; 95% CI: -2.28, -0.56), and the mediator accounted for approximately 14.3% of the total effect. The multivariate QR analysis indicated that all the domains of social support and overall social support scores were positively associated with higher MCS scores (p < 0.05). However, social support was found to have no significant association with PCS (p > 0.05).</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>Social support plays a direct and mediating role in improving the HRQoL of pregnant Australian women. Maternal health professionals need to consider social support as an essential tool to improve the HRQoL of pregnant women. Further, as part of routine antenatal care activity, assessing pregnant women’s level of social support is beneficial.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Springer Science and Business Media LLC
dc.relation.ispartof	BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1186/s12884-023-05708-0
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1110 Nursing, 1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine, 1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.subject.classification	Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
dc.title	The direct and mediating effect of social support on health-related quality of life during pregnancy among Australian women
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	23
utslib.for	1110 Nursing
utslib.for	1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Public Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2023-05-23T12:12:42Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	23
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Abstract Background Prenatal stress can have a negative effect on the quality of life (QoL) of pregnant women. Social support plays a vital role in improving the psychological well-being of pregnant women by enhancing their stress-coping ability. The current study assessed the association between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as well as the mediating role of social support in the linkage between perceived stress and HRQoL among pregnant Australian women. Methods Secondary data was obtained from 493 women who reported being pregnant in survey six of the 1973–78 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH). Social support and perceived stress were assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Index (MOS-SSS-19) and the Perceived Stress Scale, respectively. The Mental Component Scale (MCS) and Physical Component Scale (PCS) of the SF-36 were used to examine the mental and physical HRQoL. A mediation model was used to examine the mediating effect of social support in the relationship between perceived stress and HRQoL. A multivariate quantile regression (QR) model was used to assess the association between social support and HRQoL after adjusting for potential confounders. Result The mean age of the pregnant women was 35.8 years. The mediational analysis revealed that emotional/informational support (β= -1.53; 95% CI: -2.36, -0.78), tangible support (β= -0.64; 95% CI: -1.29, -0.09), and affectionate support/positive social interaction (β= -1.33; 95% CI: -2.25, -0.48), played a significant mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and mental health-related QoL. In addition, perceived stress had a significant indirect effect on mental health-related QoL through overall social support (β = -1.38; 95% CI: -2.28, -0.56), and the mediator accounted for approximately 14.3% of the total effect. The multivariate QR analysis indicated that all the domains of social support and overall social support scores were positively associated with higher MCS scores (p < 0.05). However, social support was found to have no significant association with PCS (p > 0.05). Conclusion Social support plays a direct and mediating role in improving the HRQoL of pregnant Australian women. Maternal health professionals need to consider social support as an essential tool to improve the HRQoL of pregnant women. Further, as part of routine antenatal care activity, assessing pregnant women’s level of social support is beneficial.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/170421