Social media as social support in pregnancy and the postpartum
Introduction
The entire perinatal period represents not only a time of physiological change as the body recovers from pregnancy, but also a psychological transition where the woman gains competence and confidence in her role as a mother [1]. Mothers, with their infants, create a dynamic and complex relationship that benefits both the mother and the child. Becoming a mother involves moving from a known, current reality to an unknown, new reality. Numerous factors contribute to and influence the development of competence in the maternal role including stress, self-esteem, maternal well-being, and social support [1], [2]. In a longitudinal study comparing the perception of competence and factors contributing to competence in mothers of late preterm and term infants, social support was identified as the factor most significant to the development of maternal competence [3]. Thus, the current study explores sources of social support.
Social support is described as an interpersonal transaction that contains emotional support, information or advice, instrumental or physical aid, and affirmation [4]. Factors that commonly influence social support include social ties, relationships or networks, the recipient’s perception of available support, and the personalities of the support-giver and receiver [5]. In Rubin’s foundational work, The Tasks of Pregnancy, social support for the mother is a critical source of information, emotional empathy, and understanding. Additionally, social support influences a woman’s adaptation to her new role of motherhood and the integration of that role into her social network [2].
Social support also plays a significant role in reducing stress, improving coping skills, preventing depression, and overall well-being among mothers [5], [6], [7]. Research consistently documents the importance of the spouse, partner, or father of the baby, and the pregnant/postpartum woman’s mother as critical for the development of the maternal role and for psychological well-being [4], [6], [7], [8]. Other sources of support for perinatal women include: other family members, peers, and health care professionals including counselors and caseworkers [4], [8]. Support received from relationships acts as a buffer from stress in times of change and protects overall health and well-being [7].
Rubin’s Tasks of Pregnancy was published in the early 1980s [2]. Family structure and social support resources in the 21st century are dramatically different. While families and friends provide significant support, limitations exist. The transient nature of contemporary society often finds new mothers living long distances from family, and time constraints related to careers and work schedules limit the ability to nurture relationships that support maternal role development. Additionally, career demands often require relocation and reestablishment of support systems, with resources such as parenting classes and postpartum support groups in short supply. Mothers of young children are in need of alternative support systems [9].
Social media appears to be an emerging resource new mothers now rely on for social support. Yet, little is known about how they perceive the value of social media, nor how they use it.
An emerging and widely accepted source of social support today includes various social media platforms. The use of social media as a form of social support is becoming widely accepted in part due to the twenty-four/seven (24/7) availability of resources, ease of access, and social acceptability of accessing social media and the Internet. Many members of the current generation of mothers were the first users of Facebook, which became available while they were high school or college students. In 2016, more than 88% of the population of the United States was connected to the Internet (http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/us/, 9/5/2017) [10].
While the popularity of social media use by mothers of young children has grown, the impact of social media use among mothers is only beginning to be understood. Perinatal women have access to an abundance of online information related to pregnancy and childbirth from a variety of sources including professional organizations, hospitals, special interest groups, and commercial vendors. Resources after birth mainly focus on infant growth and development [9].
Emerging evidence also suggests that blogging may improve a woman’s sense of connection to the world [11], [12]; that social networking improves a woman’s social capital [13], and that engagement with social media improves her sense of confidence in her new maternal role [12].
A common method of accessing information on the Internet is by cell phone. In a study of adolescent mothers (n = 94), 67% used a cell phone as the most frequent method of accessing the Internet and sent and received more than 100 text messages per day [14]. In fact, 95% of Americans own cell phones [15] and low-income smartphone owners, in particular, are more likely to rely on their smartphones as a primary source of Internet access [16]. These statistics suggest that social media platforms and mobile technology serve as a viable vehicle for the dissemination of health information [17] and provide resources that offer privacy, accessibility, and readily available and up-to-date information to a wide-reaching public, including underserved populations.
As society rapidly adopts and moves to social media and Internet based platforms of communication, information seeking and health management, research is necessary to validate the usefulness and impact of these common avenues of communication and learning. The objective of this study is to explore the use of social media among pregnant and postpartum women as (1) a source of education, and (2) social support in transition to the role of motherhood
Section snippets
Methods
In an exploratory study was approved by the Virginia Commonwealth University Institutional Review Board. The online survey was presented in RedCap, Research Electronic Data Capture to identify sources of social support and use of social media in new mothers at an urban academic medical center in the southern United States. The population served at this medical center is culturally diverse and primarily from the inner city. Flyers describing the purpose of the study, confidentiality of
Results
Surveys were completed by 121 mothers through a RedCap survey link that was active for a 4-week period; 4 surveys were incomplete and removed from final analysis, resulting in a final sample size of 117. The average age of mothers responding to the survey was 30.6 years. Thirty-seven percent of the women were primiparas, and the remainder were multiparous, with children ranging in age from newborn to 31 months. Almost all respondents reported either being married to (90.5%) or living with the
Discussion
This explorative study documents the use of social media in a sample of new mothers and how they consider it an additional source of both information and social support throughout the perinatal period in transitioning to the role of mother.
Conclusions
The ubiquity of the online environment along with changing family structures and increasing numbers of single mothers, working mothers, and mothers who do not live near extended family contribute to the creation of new models of social support which incorporate social media networks. These have yet to be fully explored in relation to pregnancy outcomes and maternal role attainment, however, the potential exists for social media networks to provide the interest, caring concern, and attention
Acknowledgments and disclosures
Funding for this study was provided by the Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Omega Chapter at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose related to this research or publication.
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