Social provision and postnatal well-being across the transition to motherhood: Family cohesion as a mediator

Abstract

The transition to motherhood often leads to a decline in maternal well-being. However, mothers with higher social provision, may perceive greater connection and accessibility to necessary resources within social network that safeguard well-being by strengthening family cohesion. In a cohesive family environment, where family members tend to communicate and resolve conflicts constructively, mothers’ overall satisfaction will likely be promoted. This 3-wave longitudinal study is the first to examine the mediating role of family cohesion in the above relations. 127 married Hong Kong first-time mothers (M _age = 32.8) reported social provision, family cohesion, marital and life satisfaction during the third trimester, 4 and 9 months postpartum. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that family cohesion mediated the association between social provision and both marital satisfaction (R ² = 0.28***) and life satisfaction (R ² = 0.41***), controlling for baseline. New mothers with higher provision may be better equipped to function within the family environment by perceiving connected and available to sufficient support. This helps to enhance family cohesion during this challenging period, which, in turn, contributes to higher marital and life satisfaction. The findings have significant implications for future prevention and intervention efforts on promoting social provision and family cohesion among new mothers.