Facebook Is Not Good For New Mothers' Wellbeing, According to New Study
More and more millennial moms are using Facebook and Instagram to post endless pictures of their baby. But new mothers may reconsider joining the bandwagon after reading a paper on how they are affected by the way they use social networking sites to show off their bundle of joy.
According to a new study by Ohio State University, Facebook may be the worst thing for a new mother's mental health as it can only worsen feelings of isolation instead of giving them a boost. This is caused by social comparison which could lead to anxiety, stress and post-partum depression.
Researchers used data collected from the New Parents Project, a long-term study participated by 127 moms on how dual-earners adjust to becoming parents for the first time. During their trimester of pregnancy, they were made to rate how much they agreed with statements like "Only if I am a perfect parent will society consider me a good parent."
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When their babies were nine months old, the mothers were again rated by how much they agreed with statements like "I know people make judgments about how good of a partner/mother I am based on how well cared for my house and family are." They were also asked how frequently they used social media in the early months of their parenthood.
Mothers who were more active on Facebook reported stronger emotional reactions when photos of their child get more or fewer likes and comments than expected which led to increased depressive symptoms. A mother trying to get affirmation that she's doing a good job as a parent may end up feeling worse if she doesn't get all the "likes" and positive comments she expected, lead author Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan said.
The study built on a prior research of Prof. Sarah Coyne of Bringham Young University who reported that most of the 721 mothers they surveyed felt more depressed, more pressured in their parental role and less competent as parents after comparing themselves to others in social media.
Sullivan advises those undergoing this kind of stress to withdraw from Facebook for several weeks or months and focus on personal relationships by redirecting their attention to real friends in the real world. She recommends calling long-distance friends and going out for coffee with acquaintances.
