During the postpartum period, new mothers may experience physical changes, mental disturbances, and adaptation to the maternal role. However, relationships between these three concepts have not been explored as a whole and their influencing factors are not fully studied. Especially for Chinese mothers, social support may be viewed negatively when it comes from parents-in-law. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand health and its influencing factors among Chinese mothers. This study involved a cross-sectional and correlational design. The conceptual framework guiding this study integrated a health model and the theory of stress. Well established instruments were used to measure perceived global stress, personal stress and support, importance of support and support received, general physical health, health conditions, depressive symptoms, and maternal competence. The effects of stress and social support on health outcomes were tested. A total of 150 Chinese mothers who were in their first year postpartum completed the survey. Results showed that mothers did not rate their health as good and they experienced an average of 5.03 and 3.91 kinds of health conditions within and after 2 months postpartum, respectively. Mothers did not have high maternal confidence and about 23.5% of mothers had a potential of being depressed. Mothers did not experience high level of stress and did not receive much social support. Mothers living with Chinese in-laws or not did not differ in level of stress and health measures. Mothers’ general physical health, health conditions, depressive symptoms, and maternal competence were correlated with each other. Perceived global stress had effects on all health measures. Support received had effects on general physical health and depressive symptoms, while importance of support had effects on depressive symptoms and maternal competence. Social support had moderating effects on stress and depression, and on stress and general physical health. The results suggested that culturally relevant postpartum care, which includes assessments of maternal health, maternal stress, and social support, should be provided to Chinese mothers. Future studies can focus on interventional studies in promoting maternal health with mothers of ethnic minorities and model testing on the conceptual framework used in this study. / text

Being an immigrant mother poses a unique challenge to the parenting experience because she is removed physically from her original cultural setting. In this novel situation the mother must balance her own parents' parenting values with the set of belief systems present in the new culture. This study identifies the unique ways and critical features of bi-cultural parenting decisions that the Chinese immigrant parents have come to make. Fifteen Chinese immigrant mothers participated in this study. Each participant completed a background information survey prior to the interview. Qualitative methodology was used to gather and to analyze the data. Descriptive quantitative statistics were used to organize the data. A substantive theory of accommodation of bi-cultural childrearing practices was generated that revolved around the three psychological processes of deviation, accommodation, and balance of views about education and learning. Four bi-cultural parenting strategies were identified that immigrant parents used: comparison process, opportunity education, child-inspired education, and the education of love. Specifically in order for the balance in their bi-cultural childrearing decisions and parental satisfaction to occur, the immigrant mothers had to deviate from the perceived negative cultural values and accommodate to the perceived positive cultural belief of both home and host countries. This research not only fulfills the need for empirical research on the role of acculturation in changing and modifying the central values of a cultural group, but also broadens the area of migration by examining in depth the change of cultural values in the context of migration. By using familial level of analysis (i.e., by using the memory of the parents as a factor contributing to the outcomes of parenting beliefs and practices), the continuity of vertical transmission of value congruence from parents to children in the context of dual cultures is achieved. Furthermore, this study explores value congruence between parents and offspring by taking not one, but two, cultures into account. / text