Sleep disturbances are common after childbirth and can affect maternal recovery and mental health. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale (PSQS) for assessing sleep quality among postpartum women in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors hypothesized the PSQS would reliably measure postpartum sleep disturbances and correlate with mental health outcomes, notably postpartum depression (PPD).
The research used a cross-sectional, observational design conducted from May to December 2023 at a leading maternal healthcare centre in Hanoi, Vietnam. The study occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic period addressed in the source.
A total of 223 postpartum women participated. Inclusion criteria were age 18–45 years, delivery within the previous three months, and the ability to complete the survey. Exclusion criteria included severe psychiatric or neurological disorders and postpartum complications that would affect sleep. The source did not report additional participant demographic details beyond these criteria.
Primary outcomes focused on psychometric properties of the PSQS, including internal consistency, construct validity (exploratory factor analysis), and concurrent validity. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating PSQS scores with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Perinatal Infant Care Social Support Scale. Secondary outcomes examined relationships between sleep quality, PPD, and the moderating role of social support.
The authors performed exploratory factor analysis to evaluate PSQS construct validity and calculated Cronbach's alpha to assess internal consistency. Concurrent validity was examined using correlation coefficients between PSQS scores and EPDS and social support measures. The source reports key statistics but does not provide a full account of all analytic parameters (for example, test statistics, confidence intervals, or some p values were not reported in the source text).
Exploratory factor analysis identified a three-factor structure for the PSQS:
This multidimensional structure suggests the PSQS captures distinct but related domains of postpartum sleep functioning.
The PSQS demonstrated strong internal consistency. Reported Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.839 to 0.875, indicating acceptable to good reliability across the identified factors or scale components.
PSQS scores were correlated with postpartum depression as measured by the EPDS. The source reports a correlation coefficient of r = 0.6890 between poor sleep quality and higher PPD scores. The corresponding p value for this correlation was not reported in the source text.
PSQS relationships with the Perinatal Infant Care Social Support Scale were evaluated as part of concurrent validity and secondary analyses; however, the source provides only general statements about the role of social support and does not supply detailed correlation coefficients or effect estimates for those associations.
Findings reported in the source indicate that poorer postpartum sleep quality was associated with higher PPD scores. The authors highlight the potential moderating effect of social support, suggesting that enhanced social support may improve maternal sleep and mental health outcomes. Specific numeric results quantifying the moderation effect or its statistical significance were not provided in the source.
The PSQS is reported as a reliable and valid instrument for assessing postpartum sleep quality among Vietnamese women in the early postpartum period. Its three-factor structure offers clinical insight into multiple domains of postpartum sleep disturbance—efficiency/satisfaction, infant-related disruptions, and daytime impairment/fatigue. Clinicians and researchers can consider the PSQS when screening or studying sleep in postpartum populations. The authors propose that interventions to enhance social support may help mitigate sleep disturbances and related mental health problems.
The study is cross-sectional, limiting inference about causality or long-term trajectories of sleep and mental health. Some statistical details reported in the source are incomplete (for example, the p value for the reported correlation with PPD was not provided). The authors call for further research to examine the long-term impact of postpartum sleep quality on recovery and mental well-being, and to explore the role of social support more fully.