The objectives of researchers in this study were to examine acceptance and adherence to mainstream Taiwanese postpartum cultural practices and their association with postpartum depressive symptoms among Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant mothers married to Taiwanese men. While the postpartum cultural practices in China are similar to mainstream Taiwanese practices, those of Vietnam differ from Taiwanese practices. This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Taiwan from October 2007 through March 2008, and included190 immigrant mothers from China and Vietnam who had delivered a child within the past year. Immigrant mothers from China had higher levels of acceptance and adherence to mainstream Taiwanese postpartum cultural practices and a lower rate of postpartum depressive symptoms than immigrant mothers from Vietnam, but the association between adherence to "doing-the-month" practices and postpartum depressive symptoms did not vary significantly between Chinese and Vietnamese mothers. Adherence to these practices was negatively associated with postpartum depressive symptoms among immigrant mothers (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90-0.96) after adjustment for social support, duration between moving to Taiwan and delivery, and country of origin. Adherence to mainstream postpartum cultural practices was negatively associated with postpartum depressive symptoms for both Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant women married to Taiwanese men. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Cultural practices immigrant women Postpartum depression culture

puerperal depression cultural anthropology Vietnam China Asian psychological aspect human statistics Asian continental ancestry group Adaptation, Psychological Logistic Models social support ethnology Taiwan Cross-Sectional Studies interview marriage Young Adult cross-sectional study Humans Interviews as Topic Infant, Newborn male Emigrants and Immigrants Viet Nam Infant Socioeconomic Factors newborn female adaptive behavior socioeconomics questionnaire Mothers Article patient compliance Questionnaires mother adult migration statistical model Depression, Postpartum Postpartum Period puerperium Culture