Postpartum Stressors: A Content Analysis

Aqualitativecontentanalysiswasconductedonnarrativeswritten by 127 mothers at four to six weeks postpartum. This study aimed to identify and compare postpartum stressors to the Tennessee Postpartum Stress Scale (TPSS). The TPSS is a guide to common postpartum stressors and an instrument to assess postpartum stress. Most participants in this study were white (91%), married (72%), and not working (70%). Eighteen stressor categories aggregated into two themes: Stressors Arising within the Maternal-Newborn Dyad and Stressors External to the MaternalNewborn Dyad. Sixteen of 20 items on the TPSS were identified in the narratives. No stressor categories outside the TPSS were identified.