Psychosocial factors and maternal wellbeing: an exploratory path analysis

Developing a sense of well-being and achieving competence and satisfaction in the maternal role have a tremendous impact on the quality of parenting behaviour and the child's psychosocial development. Little is known about the mechanisms through which learned resourcefulness, social support and stress affect postnatal depression and women's sense of competence and satisfaction in the maternal role.

To test a conceptual model that examines the relationships between learned resourcefulness, social support, stress, maternal role competence and satisfaction, and postnatal depression in first-time Chinese mothers.

A predictive correlational study using secondary analysis of data from an intervention study.

The study was conducted in two regional public hospitals in Hong Kong.

A total of 181 first-time Chinese mothers were followed at six weeks post-partum.

Participants completed five instruments at six weeks post-partum: the Self-Control Schedule, Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, Social Readjustment Rating Scale, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Path analysis was employed.

The findings indicate that learned resourcefulness and social support have a direct impact on maternal role competence and satisfaction and on postnatal depression. Stress affected postnatal depression directly and maternal role competence and satisfaction indirectly, via learned resourcefulness and social support. Both learned resourcefulness and social support mediated the effects of stress on maternal role competence and satisfaction and postnatal depression.

This study establishes potential mechanisms through which learned resourcefulness, social support and stress contribute to maternal role competence and satisfaction and postnatal depression during early motherhood. Culturally competent healthcare should be developed to provide support and equip women with learned resourcefulness skills to combat the stress of early motherhood, thereby enhancing maternal role competence and satisfaction and minimizing the risk of postnatal depression.