Relationships between stated feelings and measures of maternal adjustment.

Nurses need to identify those women who are experiencing difficulties with maternal-role transition. A study was conducted in which the relationships between women's self-reported feelings during the postpartum period and scores from observational and paper-and-pencil measures of maternal adjustment were explored. The results indicated that self-descriptions of negative physical feelings were related to scores indicating less mothering capability. Self-descriptions of negative emotional feelings were related to poorer relationships with husbands, less life satisfaction, and less support for the maternal role.