New Mothers and Media Use: Associations Between Blogging, Social Networking, and Maternal Well-Being

Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and prior empirical research, the current study examines the way that blogging and social networking may impact feelings of connection and social support, which in turn could impact maternal well-being (e.g., marital functioning, parenting stress, and de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Maternal and child health journal 2012-10, Vol.16 (7), p.1509-1517
Main Authors: McDaniel, Brandon T., Coyne, Sarah M., Holmes, Erin K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Blogging - statistics & numerical data
Blogging - utilization
Blogs
Childrens health
Depression, Mental
Families & family life
Female
Gynecology
Health Surveys
Humans
Infant
Internet
Internet access
Logistic Models
Male
Maternal and Child Health
Maternal Welfare
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental depression
Mothers
Mothers - psychology
Networking
Parenting
Parents & parenting
Pediatrics
Personal Satisfaction
Population Economics
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychological aspects
Public Health
Social aspects
Social Media - statistics & numerical data
Social Media - utilization
Social Networking
Social networks
Social Support
Socioeconomic Factors
Sociology
Stress
Weblogs
Well being
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Summary:Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and prior empirical research, the current study examines the way that blogging and social networking may impact feelings of connection and social support, which in turn could impact maternal well-being (e.g., marital functioning, parenting stress, and depression). One hundred and fifty-seven new mothers reported on their media use and various well-being variables. On average, mothers were 27 years old (SD = 5.15) and infants were 7.90 months old (SD = 5.21). All mothers had access to the Internet in their home. New mothers spent approximately 3 hours on the computer each day, with most of this time spent on the Internet. Findings suggested that frequency of blogging predicted feelings of connection to extended family and friends which then predicted perceptions of social support. This in turn predicted maternal well-being, as measured by marital satisfaction, couple conflict, parenting stress, and depression. In sum, blogging may improve new mothers’ well-being, as they feel more connected to the world outside their home through the Internet.
ISSN:1092-7875
1573-6628
DOI:10.1007/s10995-011-0918-2