Relationship of Maternal and General Self-Acceptance to Pre- and Postpartum Affective Experience

Abstract

Forty-nine married primiparous Israeli women responded to W. W. K. Zung's (1965) Self-Rating Depression Scale, N. M. Bradburn's (1969) Affect Balance Scale, and measures of general and maternal self-acceptance during the last trimester of pregnancy and again 6 to 8 weeks following childbirth. There was a significant decrease in depression from pre- to postpartum for the total group. Women high in general self-acceptance were less depressed and displayed less negative affect than those low in general self-acceptance. There were no corresponding differences between the high and low maternal self-acceptance groups. Both pre- and postpartum women tended to rate themselves significantly higher for maternal self-acceptance than for general self-acceptance.