Quality of life and depression following childbirth: impact of social support.

Objective: to evaluate the impact of social support on postnatal depression and health-related quality of life.

Design: prospective cohort study. Data were collected at baseline and at six weeks post discharge using a postal survey.

Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF among women following childbirth.

Background: There is increasing interest in measuring quality of life (QOL) in clinical settings and in clinical trials. None of the commonly used QOL instruments has been validated for use postnatally.

Aim: To assess the psychometric properties of the 26-item WHOQOL-BREF (short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment) among women following childbirth.