Social support buffers the impact of pregnancy stress on perceptions of parent–infant closeness during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11277326 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emma Becker (0000-0003-3191-4633, Department of Psychology Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax Nova Scotia Canada), Lucy Atkinson (0000-0003-1265-3298, Department of Psychology Metropolitan Toronto University Toronto Ontario Canada), Leslie Atkinson, Andrea Gonzalez (0000-0003-0087-830X, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada), Jennifer E Khoury (0000-0002-6703-4198, Department of Psychology Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax Nova Scotia Canada, corresponding author), Jennifer Khoury |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 328-340 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Infant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/imhj.22096 |
| PMID | 38196240 |
| OpenAlex | W4390706207 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 77 |
Pregnant individuals and parents have experienced elevated mental health problems and stress during COVID‐19. Stress during pregnancy can be harmful to the fetus and detrimental to the parent–child relationship. However, social support is known to act as a protective factor, buffering against the adverse effects of stress. The present study examined whether (1) prenatal stress during COVID‐19 was associated with parent–infant closeness at 6 months postpartum, and (2) social support moderated the effect of prenatal stress on the parent–infant relationship. In total, 181 participants completed questionnaires during pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted to assess whether social support moderated the effect of stress during pregnancy on parent–infant closeness at 6 months postpartum. Results indicated a significant interaction between prenatal stress and social support on parents’ perceptions of closeness with their infants at 6 months postpartum ( β = .805, p = .029); parents who experienced high prenatal stress with high social support reported greater parent–infant closeness, compared to those who reported high levels of stress and low social support. Findings underscore the importance of social support in protecting the parent–infant relationship, particularly in times of high stress, such as during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Closeness · Developmental psychology · Gestation · Multilevel model · Pregnancy · Prenatal stress · Protective factor · Social support · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Internal Medicine
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |