Applied Nursing Research
Volume 16, Issue 1 , Pages 38-45, February 2003

The effectiveness of a self-care intervention for the management of postpartum fatigue☆☆☆

Nancy Wieland Troy, PhD, RN, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA; Peggy Dalgas-Pelish, PhD, ARNP, CS, FNP, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Article Outline

Abstract 

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Tiredness Management Guide (TMG) as a self-care intervention for the management of postpartum fatigue from the second to the sixth week postpartum. An experimental repeated measures analysis of variance design was used with a sample of 68 primiparous mothers. Interaction effects between group membership and time in the hypothesized direction were found for fatigue. When the data were tested from the second through the fourth week, a significant interaction effect was found between group membership and time with the experimental group having lower morning fatigue. Results suggest that using the TMG may reduce levels of morning postpartum fatigue from the second through the fourth week postpartum. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

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☆ Supported by the Maternal Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA 93-1070, 45294.

☆☆ Address reprint requests to Nancy Wieland Troy, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912-4240.

PII: S0897-1897(02)10904-9

doi:10.1053/apnr.2003.50001

Applied Nursing Research
Volume 16, Issue 1 , Pages 38-45, February 2003

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