Quality of life outcomes' in early motherhood in Austria : The impact of internal and external resources

The aim of this paper is to provide results of two studies, which were conducted in Austria to examine the impact of internal and external factors on quality of life and depressive symptoms in early motherhood.

In general early motherhood may be a critical life event for a woman and their partner and can lead to decreased well-being. Emotional aspects such as depression affects not only the quality of life of the mothers but also her new-born child, her other children, partner and relatives. In our studies we investigated the impact of pregnancy diseases, psychosocial factors and resilience on quality of life outcomes and depressive symptoms in early motherhood in Austria. We found that external resources e.g. social support from the partner and relevant others, the economic background, preterm birth, the health of the child and internal resources like a lack of fear or depressive symptoms in pregnancy and resilience had a positive impact on the quality of life of mothers in early motherhood.

The identification of risk factors and resources are important to support mothers. Women will benefit from external support systems and from the support of their partner. The well-being can be improved by educational interventions on common responses and coping strategies in early motherhood. This will have a positive impact on the development of the child and the well-being of the whole family. Learning processes are necessary for mothers and fathers to cope with the new situations in early motherhood.