Introduction
An essential physiological, mental, social, and environmental life shift is a part of being a parent. During the transition to motherhood, the health of women depends on a variety of aspects. Additionally, it is noteworthy that parents frequently have mental health issues, which affect both the parent and their child. Nevertheless, little is known about the connection between motherhood and psychological well-being, as well as the nature of these impacts. While becoming a parent is commonly perceived as a joyful process, many issues deserve more attention from both scientists and society. In this sense, motherhood is beyond psychological and physiological changes. In their transition to motherhood, many women experience physical, mental, or environmental challenges that impact their health, which necessitates the emotional support of such women.
Emotional, Physical, and Social Changes of Transitioning to Motherhood
Becoming a parent is a vital life shift that has a significant influence on daily financial, interpersonal, and physical health. The prevalence of mental health issues significantly increases during the years spent raising children, especially for females who bear the physical stress and, in a big number of cultures, are responsible for the majority of raising children (Pearson et al., 2019). A woman’s susceptibility to mental illness may be increased by the transition to motherhood, which is linked to a multitude of lifestyle modifications over a brief period (Pearson et al., 2019). It entails a variety of physiological and psychosocial issues, such as the ones that involve pregnancy, childbearing, child care, and career status.
Physical changes include the process of coping with a body that has changed after childbirth and pregnancy. The postnatal period can be a time of increased psychological stress and adverse health behavior modification, such as major sleep disturbance, inflammation, and reduced physical activity, even though the birth of a new child is frequently a joyous occasion (Saxbe et al., 2018). The process of going through multiple positive and negative psychological states, such as happiness, contentment, anxiety, ineptitude, and loneliness, can be characterized as psychological change (Hwang et al., 2018). Social change implies the process wherein a woman’s perceptions alter when she becomes a mother (Hwang et al., 2018). In this way, a woman establishes a bond with her baby while modifying her priorities and redefining the boundaries between her family and outsiders.
Family Stressors, Substance Misuse, and Childhood Trauma
Even though research has identified postpartum stresses, the majority of them have concentrated on the first six weeks. Mothers’ psychological health may be influenced by family stressors that might include escalating relationship problems, parental substance or alcohol misuse, or parental separation (Kamis, 2021). Furthermore, childhood traumas can also impact a mother’s mental state since such stressors have a long-lasting effect on one’s mental well-being throughout life (Kamis, 2021). As a result, persons who experienced childhood hardship may continuously experience more distress as adults than those who did not (Kamis, 2021). Second, experiencing hardship as a child may cause growing distress over time (Kamis, 2021). This might be caused by the accumulation of stress that is associated with depression or anxiety that affects adult health over time or by the compounding of these symptoms throughout a person’s life.
Lastly, substance misuse can significantly worsen mental illness manifestations or possibly cause the onset of new ones. Antidepressants and anxiety drugs, and mood stabilizers, among others, might interfere with other medications, decreasing their efficacy in treating symptoms and postponing overall recovery. Drug-using women frequently exhibit aberrant parenting practices that obstruct the normal growth of mother-infant connection and bonding (Cataldo et al., 2019). Amid drug misuse recurrence, which frequently occurs, and in the first stages of infancy, mother care impairments leave noticeable harmful impacts (Cataldo et al., 2019). The worsened condition of a mother that can lead to depression hurts relationships, family life, and attachment (Cataldo et al., 2019). Both physical and emotional deprivations are risks that are considerably increased by mental disorders (Walker and Murry, 2022). If left untreated, depression has several detrimental repercussions on women as well, including a decline in quality of life as well as functional issues (Walker and Murry, 2022). Women’s health activities such as less healthy eating, smoking recurrence, and postpartum weight accumulation are all correlated with postnatal distress.
Mother-Infant Attachment Relationship and Mental Health
Significant child outcomes are correlated with the strength of the mother-infant relationship. According to a scientific study, a woman’s attachment style is associated with mother-infant bonding (Nordahl et al., 2020). The research has considered that the capacity to build attachments is a reasonably stable attribute (Nordahl et al., 2020). Parental anxiety in the first year after birth may be related to the attachment type because the adjustment to motherhood is frequently challenging (Nordahl et al., 2020). Such tension might be detrimental to the attachment between a mother and her child (Liu et al., 2022). The maternal-infant attachment, which is crucial for a child’s future development and social dynamics, can be difficult for women in the postnatal period due to poor psychological health.
It has been hypothesized that parents’ lack of sensitivity and their increasing intrusiveness and animosity toward their children are both symptoms of parental stress. People who struggle in close relationships owing to insecure styles of attachment may become more stressed and overwhelmed as mothers, which may affect the strength of the mother-infant attachment (Nordahl et al., 2020). Depression and anxiety in mothers throughout pregnancy and after delivery, as well as signs of posttraumatic stress disorder in both partners, hurt maternal-infant attachment.
Importance of Screening Tools
Studies indicate that screening for parental stress and depression is not common, even though the issue of depressive symptomatology is widely acknowledged, and that there may be benefits to doing so. Only 8% of physicians consistently inquire about depression symptoms from the mothers of their patients, according to research evaluating screening rates among doctors (New York State Department of Health, 2018). No physicians reported utilizing integrated support surveys. According to this research, there have been a lot of wasted possibilities to detect women who are at risk for developing maternal depression (New York State Department of Health, 2018). The prenatal timeframe is an optimal time for testing and preventative measures, which can be handled with parental depression screening instruments (New York State Department of Health, 2018). Since postnatal depression starts during childbirth and women with a history of mental health disorders are at higher risk, the prenatal period is preferred for screening and preventative measures.
The results for both infants and mothers can be improved by screening for parental depression. The sooner a woman with parental stress is diagnosed, the sooner she can start receiving treatment (New York State Department of Health, 2018). There are presently no nationwide evidence-based recommendations for the duration or intensity of prenatal or postnatal depression screenings, nor have the ideal environments, instruments, or screening targets—such as significant versus minor depression—been established (New York State Department of Health, 2018). There is significant proof that short, standardized anxiety screening tools can accurately detect mental distress and that therapy benefits the outcome for the mother and her family.
The Role of Fathers in Terms of Supporting Partners
An improved postpartum maternal mental state is linked to higher levels of paternal participation. Children require a nurturing and supportive setting to enable maximum growth and development. Yet women with poor mental health and anxiety may be less able to recognize and react to a child’s needs and may also exhibit warmth, love, and enjoyment differently from other adults (Drysdale et al., 2021). Mothers’ depression has also been connected to developmental retardation and long-term adverse effects on children’s development, particularly behavioral and mental health issues (Drysdale et al., 2021). An increased likelihood of behavioral problems in children, especially males, is linked to paternal depression during the postpartum period (Drysdale et al., 2021). Children seem to be more likely to experience emotional and behavioral issues if their fathers are more depressed (Drysdale et al., 2021). Thus, to lessen the harmful effects that poor mental state can have on both the woman and child, it is essential to include fathers consistently, encourage self-care, and motivate them to assist their spouses from conception through infancy.
Importance of Community Support Networks
According to studies, social support is crucial for postpartum wellness. Less is known about the many kinds of social assistance and how to access desired resources. Mothers’ use of a social support system in their parental responsibilities has proven beneficial. The support could come in the form of both practical assistance, like babysitting, and psychological support, like having someone to talk to when the mother is experiencing hardship (De Sousa Machado et al., 2020). Social assistance might assist women who feel they have no control over their lives in improving their relationships with their offspring (De Sousa Machado et al., 2020). When they feel out of control, a support network can make them feel less stressed and enable mothers to respond more positively toward their children.
The Role of the Child and Family Health Professionals
Child and family health nurses (CFHNs) are the leading group of child and family health professionals entrusted with assisting parents. They assist in fostering the best possible growth and development in newborns and young children from birth to age five (Boelsma et al., 2021). Initially focusing on the observation and tracking of children’s growth and development, the job of the given nurses has advanced to encompass the evaluation and assistance of parental mental well-being (Weightman et al., 2021).
Among the duties of such nurses is to address the anxiety of mothers and family members regarding prenatal difficulties, labor and childbirth, and the physical well-being of the baby. Furthermore, they encourage children’s healthy growth and development and educate mothers and family members to recognize clinical symptoms (such as a rise in body temperature) and symptoms of health issues and to seek out medical facilities if anything changes (Reticena et al., 2019). Lastly, they ensure that women have a strong network of family and friends and connect women with other organizations (Wightman et al., 2021). Thus, these professionals give direct advice on the health of children and parents.
Maintaining a Therapeutic Relationship with Women
Females with a personal and family history of depression are 20 times more likely than women without a background to experience postnatal depression. According to observational studies, perceived stress—which is measured by how much a scenario is considered to be stressful—is a substantial risk factor for depression. There are many opinions regarding methods that help either prevent depression or build an effective intervention plan. According to Lewis et al. (2021), exercise is effective in treating depression and anxiety. Nevertheless, there is not much high-quality research that has looked at how well exercise treats postpartum depression (Lewis and others, 2021). However, it was discovered that exercise helped postpartum women avoid and manage depressive symptoms.
Additionally, to increase the defensive elements and developmental techniques used to safeguard or secure against the consequences of a probable traumatic situation, the social support network needs to be strengthened as a preventive approach. Support systems might be used to plan and carry out primary preventative efforts (Budiman et al., 2019). Lastly, a collaboration between the child and family health professional nurses and their relatives through visits has also been demonstrated to increase wellness, in addition to several other interventions (Budiman et al., 2019). The initial parenting experience is emotional, especially for a woman who has recently become a mother.
Cultural Considerations for High-Risk Groups
Maternal depression seems to be gaining international attention as a serious public health issue. Sociocultural factors may both cause postnatal depression and help to lessen depression symptoms. Postnatal depression has been reported to affect 10-15% of new mothers, especially in Western nations (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). However, numerous studies and statistical studies have shown that depression is becoming more common in different cultures around the world (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). The study found that while depression was relatively uncommon in some cultures, such as Singapore, Malta, Denmark, and Malaysia, it was highly prevalent in other cultures, including countries of Latin America, South Africa, and East Asia (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). Nine studies reported nine rituals, the most prevalent of which was recovering for a while after childbirth, adhering to dietary rules and other limitations, and getting assistance from the wider family, usually the in-laws (Wang et al., 2021). Thus, cultural considerations for high-risk groups involve values and norms.
Conclusion
Hence, the wellness of women in their transition to motherhood depends on multiple factors. First, it is noteworthy that the well-being of a mother depends mainly on psychological, physiological, and social aspects, including body, familial, and mental changes. Furthermore, it is vital to recognize the role of family stressors, substance misuse, and childhood traumas. The prevailing nature of such factors can have a negative influence on the health of the mother and child, along with the disruption of the mother-infant bond. The mother-infant attachment is a crucial aspect of proper child growth and development. When this process is disrupted, the child might experience interpersonal issues. As a result, it is important to create a social support network for new mothers and engage fathers to create a healthy atmosphere. Lastly, it is important to mention the existing strategies to prevent mental health deterioration that include exercise, support, and professional help. However, some cultures require extra attention due to the high risk of depression and non-standard postnatal approaches.
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