Scientia Psychiatrica
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): Scientia Psychiatrica

Postpartum-Specific Anxiety and Inadequate Breast-Milk Flow Among Indonesian Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Study of Prevalence and Determinants

Aulia Rahmi (Bachelor of Midwifery Study Program, Faculty of Health, Universitas Sari Mulia, Banjarmasin, Indonesia)
Dwi Rahmawati (Bachelor of Midwifery Study Program, Faculty of Health, Universitas Sari Mulia, Banjarmasin, Indonesia)
Rabia Wahdah (Midwife Professional Education Study Program, Faculty of Health, Universitas Sari Mulia, Banjarmasin, Indonesia)
Ika Friscila (Midwife Professional Education Study Program, Faculty of Health, Universitas Sari Mulia, Banjarmasin, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Jun 2026

Abstract

Postpartum-specific anxiety is an increasingly recognized perinatal mental-health disorder that may impair lactation by inhibiting the oxytocin-mediated let-down reflex, yet evidence from Indonesian primary care using validated childbearing-specific instruments is scarce. This study estimated the prevalence of postpartum-specific anxiety, examined its association with breast-milk flow, and evaluated the screening performance of the Postpartum-Specific Anxiety Scale (PSAS). An analytical cross-sectional study enrolled 40 mothers on days 2-4 postpartum at a midwife-led primary-care practice in South Kalimantan, Indonesia (December 2025-January 2026) using purposive sampling. Anxiety was measured with the 51-item PSAS and lactation adequacy with a validated 8-item breast-milk-flow questionnaire. Prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI), chi-square tests, odds ratios (OR), multivariable logistic regression, correlation and receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed (alpha=0.05). Any anxiety was present in 72.5% of mothers (95% CI 58.7-86.3; mild 40.0%, moderate 32.5%) and inadequate breast-milk flow in 47.5% (95% CI 32.0-63.0). Higher PSAS scores correlated strongly with poorer lactation (Spearman rho=-0.685, p<0.001; Cohen d=1.36). Moderate anxiety substantially increased the odds of inadequate lactation (crude OR 10.55, 95% CI 2.16-51.61, p=0.001; adjusted OR 40.80, p=0.006), and the overall anxiety-lactation association was significant (chi-square=11.61, df=2, p=0.003). The PSAS predicted inadequate lactation with an AUC of 0.83 (95% CI 0.70-0.96; optimal cut-off >=80, sensitivity 84.2%, specificity 71.4%). Postpartum-specific anxiety was common and independently associated with inadequate lactation; routine PSAS-based screening in maternal care may identify at-risk mothers and protect breastfeeding in low-resource Indonesian settings.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

SciPsy

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology Neuroscience Public Health

Description

Scientia Psychiatrica covers the latest developments in various fields of psychiatric : biological psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, child psychiatry, psychiatry of community, psychotherapy, drugs-related mental illness, psychiatry of geriatric, psychosomatics medicine, psychology, cultural psychiatry, ...