Social Distancing and the Loss of Support for Mothers with Young Infants

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

The birth of a new baby is a sensitive time in family life and is usually characterized by lots of social support. Parents, particularly mothers, rely on their partners, parents, and friends/relatives for support, whether its help with caretaking (instrumental support) or simply care and concern for the mother (emotional support) (Hopkins & Campbell, 2008). Social support during this vulnerable time is important for maternal and child wellbeing (Cochran & Niego, 2002). Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the ways in which people are able to interact with each other, even close family and friends. The goal of this study is to examine the loss of various types of social support for mothers with young infants, as a result of COVID-19 and social distancing practices, as it relates to maternal and infant outcomes.
Mothers with young infants (< 10-months) were recruited to participate in an online survey in May 2020 (N=483). Of the full sample, n=439 reported engaging in some type of social distancing with their infant in response to COVID-19. Mothers reported social support (instrumental and emotional) from their romantic partner, the infant’s grandparents, and other friends/relatives (Hopkins & Campbell, 2008). On a 5-point scale, mothers also rated if, due to COVID-19, the support from each person was less than usual(-2), no different(0), or more than usual(2). On a 4-point scale, mothers also reported how stressed they felt by this change from not at all(0) to a lot(3). Mothers also reported post-partum depressive symptoms, feelings of attachment, and parental efficacy. A 6-month follow up survey will be sent to mothers in October 2020 to assess these same variables (and infant outcomes) at a second time point.
Analyses will examine how changes in social support (romantic partners, grandparents, friends/relatives), and the stress associated with these changes, is associated with maternal and infant outcomes. Data collection is ongoing. Preliminary analyses with the first wave of data suggest that mothers with lower levels of support from all sources were more likely to report that this was less social support than usual. Additionally, mothers who reported that they were receiving less support than usual, were also more likely to feel that this change was stressful. Results also suggest some associations with maternal outcomes. For example, mothers were more likely to report lower parental efficacy when they were receiving less support than usual from friends/relatives and were stressed by this change.
Once data collection is complete, we will examine social support, changes in support, and stress in a hierarchical regression framework, as predictors of parental efficacy and attachment at the second time point. We will also examine change in support and stress as a moderator of social support’s impact on the maternal outcomes at the second time point. Taken together, these results will help elucidate the impact of social support loss and stress during COVID-19 for mothers and their infants’ during this critical time in family life.

Authors

• Jennifer Ann Mortensen, University of Nevada Reno
  Presenting Author

• Melissa M Burnham, University of Nevada Reno
  Non-Presenting Author