Maternal Self-Efficacy Buffers the Effects of COVID-19-Related Experiences on Postpartum Parenting Stress.
Hung-Chu Lin, Paula L Zehnah, Amanda Koire and 3 others
PMID 35114164WHAT IT FOUND
Stronger parenting self-efficacy was linked to less postpartum parenting stress, especially when pandemic worries were high.
Depression symptoms were also associated with stress; anxiety symptoms were not after other factors.
Key findings
01Higher maternal self-efficacy was associated with less reported parenting stress.
02Higher maternal self-efficacy was associated with a weaker link between pandemic-related experiences and parenting stress.
03Depression symptoms remained associated with parenting stress after other variables, but anxiety symptoms did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional and correlational, so it cannot show that self-efficacy caused less stress; stress or pandemic worry may have affected self-efficacy. The analysis used a selected subgroup of postpartum women from the larger survey sample. The sample was predominantly White, well educated, and well resourced, so results may not apply to women from other racial or ethnic groups or with lower income or education. Women more stressed by the pandemic may have been more likely to respond. All measures were self-report, so perceptions may have shaped the results. Infant temperament was not measured, which could be related to parenting stress.
Declared interests
The supplied text tags the article as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research funding. It does not include an author conflicts-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving maternal self-efficacy will reduce postpartum parenting stress. This was a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show that self-efficacy caused less stress; stress or pandemic worry may have affected self-efficacy.