A longitudinal study of partner support and maternal mental health following pregnancy during public health crises.
Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
Public health crises like environmental disasters and COVID-19 place psychological burden on affected communities, with pregnant and new mothers disproportionately impacted. With the escalating incidence of such crises, understanding the mechanisms that support maternal resilience is crucial for effective intervention. We investigated partner support as a potential protective factor for mothers' mental health following the Australian 2019-2020 bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic. Data were from 278 mothers living in the ACT and NSW who were pregnant during the bushfires and participants in the Mother and Child 2020 (MC2020) longitudinal cohort study, and 99 of their partners. Moderation analyses tested whether total partner support (dyadic coping) predicted the impact of crises during pregnancy on maternal mental health at 21-38 months postpartum. Secondary analyses examined how mothers' and partners' perceptions of the support provided to mothers contributed to maternal mental health. Mothers with greater crisis impact reported higher depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, and lower wellbeing at 21-38 months postpartum. The effect of crisis impact on mothers' mental health was not moderated by partner support; however, partner support showed the strongest association with maternal mental health, including improvements from the perinatal period to 21-38 months postpartum. Critically, the relationship between partner support and mothers' mental health was pr
Abstract
Public health crises like environmental disasters and COVID-19 place psychological burden on affected communities, with pregnant and new mothers disproportionately impacted. With the escalating incidence of such crises, understanding the mechanisms that support maternal resilience is crucial for effective intervention. We investigated partner support as a potential protective factor for mothers' mental health following the Australian 2019-2020 bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic. Data were from 278 mothers living in the ACT and NSW who were pregnant during the bushfires and participants in the Mother and Child 2020 (MC2020) longitudinal cohort study, and 99 of their partners. Moderation analyses tested whether total partner support (dyadic coping) predicted the impact of crises during pregnancy on maternal mental health at 21-38 months postpartum. Secondary analyses examined how mothers' and partners' perceptions of the support provided to mothers contributed to maternal mental health. Mothers with greater crisis impact reported higher depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, and lower wellbeing at 21-38 months postpartum. The effect of crisis impact on mothers' mental health was not moderated by partner support; however, partner support showed the strongest association with maternal mental health, including improvements from the perinatal period to 21-38 months postpartum. Critically, the relationship between partner support and mothers' mental health was primarily driven by mothers' perceptions of the support they received. Strengthening partner support may significantly enhance maternal mental health and resilience surrounding public health crises. Intervention efforts should focus on guiding partners to provide support that aligns with mothers' needs.