We longitudinally examined the child-rearing anxiety of mothers with suckling infants and the support system necessary for anxiety-free child-rearing, and performed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey at 6 time-points during the post-natal period from the 5th day to 10 months. Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), we analyzed the relationships among the time-points and factors influencing EPDS scores to examine the tendency found in primi- and multiparas.
Support was suggested to be most important on the 5th postnatal day for primiparas and 2 week time-point for multiparas, and if postnatal depression was relieved within 1 month for primiparas and 3 months for multiparas, the influences since then might weaken. Primiparas do not always feel pleased with childbirth and seek advice and mental support until the end of 1 month, while multiparas expect a helper or husband’s participation in child-rearing, for which an arrangement of postnatal environment for child-rearing up to 3 months is important. Furthermore, at 6 and 10 months, the care of their older infants and dissatisfaction with their husband’s lack of participation in child-rearing were found to affect the depression respectively. As mothers’ issue with child-rearing varied with time, an appropriate support for each period was suggested to be necessary.