Mothering in the Context of Mental Disorder: Effect of Caregiving Load on Maternal Health in a Predominantly Hispanic Sample.
Yui Matsuda, Brian E McCabe, Victoria Behar-Zusman
PMID 32102585WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers receiving mental or substance use services had more fatigue, pain, and higher BMI when caregiving load was higher.
Nurses can ask how many children they care for and whether any have emotional or medical problems.
Key findings
01In 172 mothers receiving outpatient mental or substance use services, higher caregiving load was associated with higher fatigue, pain, and BMI.
02The number of children with internalizing problems was associated with higher maternal psychological distress, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and oral health problems, and with lower physical function.
03The number of children with a medical condition was associated with higher maternal pain and lower physical function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that caregiving load caused poorer maternal health. Mothers reported their children's emotional and behavioral problems, which may have introduced bias. The sample was mostly low-income, Hispanic/Latina women in a home-health trial, so results may not apply to other mothers. Primary diagnoses were unknown for 27 participants because records were unavailable. The study did not measure caregiving support or assistance, which could affect maternal health. The income range was restricted, which may have limited detection of income-related stress effects. It used baseline data from a trial, so it does not show whether the trial intervention improved maternal health.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The paper is listed as NIH extramural-supported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that caring for more children causes poorer maternal health. The associations were cross-sectional, and mothers reported their children's problems, so the direction of the relationship is not established.