Changes in maternal coping strategies from pregnancy to postpartum among Japanese women: A prospective longitudinal study

Background: Coping strategies like self-distraction and self-blame predict later maternal mental health problems; however, little is known about changes in coping strategies that occur within pregnant individuals. Objectives: This study analyzed intrapersonal changes in individual coping strategies between the prenatal and postnatal periods. Design: A prospective longitudinal pilot study Methods: We recruited 59 women from a perinatal medical center in Tokyo. Participants answered the Brief COPE at late pregnancy and 4 weeks postnatally. We performed paired-samples t -tests to identify the differences in coping strategies between two timepoints. Results: Fifty-four women completed questionnaires at both timepoints. The scores for self-distraction, denial, and self-blame significantly decreased after childbirth. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that women may change their individual coping strategies throughout their perinatal experiences. This finding could help further research explore women who cannot change high-risk coping strategies, as well as consider ways to empower women in selecting coping strategies during the perinatal period.