Pregnancy, postpartum and parenthood well-being (PPPW) in Malaysia : a mixed-methods study on coping strategies based on positive psychology and support resources

A journey of a thousand miles may begin with the birth of a child. The transition to parenthood is one life event that is both joyful and complex. This period may bring challenges and changes that are new and consequently affect the well-being of parents. Coping and support are both protective factors that are evidenced to be pivotal during the parenthood journey. The current thesis expanded the understanding of positive psychology, coping and support during the period encompassing pregnancy through early parenthood within a Malaysian demographic via three studies. Firstly, a quantitative study with N=405 healthy pregnant women to learn the moderating role of hope on the association of depression, anxiety, positive, negative emotions on life satisfaction. Results showed that all variables significantly predicted life satisfaction while hope significantly moderated the associations between negative emotions and life satisfaction. In the second longitudinal study, an in-depth two-fold grounded theory study was conducted to learn the broader perceptions of coping and support during the pregnancy and postpartum phase with twelve Malaysian couples. The main categories from the perspectives of expectant couples were: 1) navigating changes, 2) interacting with external support, 3) managing well-being and 4) maintaining spousal relationship, while perspectives from postpartum couples were: 1) managing well-being, 2) maintaining spousal relationship, 3) interacting with healthcare and 4) experiencing post-natal confinement. These insights contributed to the development of a grounded theory process entitled ‘Building a Nurturing and Empowering Support for Transition (NEST)’. NEST encapsulates the intricate process parents undertake during the parenthood transition cycle from the perceptions of coping and supporting themselves towards building a healthy nest for themselves and their child. Lastly, in a systematic review on positive psychology interventions (PPI) as coping and support tools for pregnant women were synthesised to situate the current findings with past evidence, for future conceptualisation of interventions. The review provided evidence for PPI leading to improvements in physical symptoms: labour pain, nausea and vomiting; psychological symptoms: anxiety, depression, stress; and on subjective well being: quality of life and life satisfaction. PPI were found to be effective across most studies by examining established positive psychology components such as hope, optimism and gratitude.

Grantor dc:publisher

Heriot-Watt University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Ganesan, Tharunnia M. S.

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Beevi, Doctor Zuhrah
• Nee, Doctor Ke Guek
• Gow, Professor Alan J.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://www.ros.hw.ac.uk/handle/10399/5386

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ros.hw.ac.uk/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Aros.hw.ac.uk%3A10399%2F5386