Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the literature highlighted an increased risk of child abuse and the use of negative parenting practices. Furthermore, pregnancy during this time may have been challenging and generated different feelings regarding the pandemic and motherhood. Many pregnant women had other young children, underscoring the need to understand this scenario better. Therefore, the present study examined the predictive effect of indicators of mental health disorders, emotional discomfort with motherhood, and negative perceptions of COVID-19 on negative parenting practices.
Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. Pregnant women (n = 303) who had other children younger than six years answered an online questionnaire during the physical distancing period due to COVID-19 in Fortaleza. A partially latent structural equation model (SEM) was used to test direct and indirect relations between the variables.
Results: The results revealed a direct positive relation between maternal mental health and the variables COVID-19 feelings, emotional discomfort with motherhood, and negative parenting practices. The stronger relationship was between maternal mental health and emotional discomfort with motherhood. The COVID-19 negative feelings also showed a direct positive relation to emotional discomfort with motherhood. Additionally, older mothers and those with fewer children tended to have less mental health disorders. Furthermore, being in a later trimester of pregnancy was linked to more negative feelings about motherhood.
Discussion: The study suggests that mothers experiencing mental health challenges are more likely to feel discomfort with motherhood and use negative parenting practices, highlighting a need for intervention.
The literature highlighted the link between maternal mental health and negative parenting. The present study is innovative in examining mental health related to feelings about COVID-19 and parenting of pregnant women with other young children. The findings have broader implications for parenting beyond the context of the pandemic. Furthermore, given society’s increasing isolation, maternal negative feelings can manifest in different situations, such as the lack of support. The findings highlighted the importance of parenting programs addressing parenting strategies, the consequences of negative practices, and how mothers feel about motherhood, especially during pregnancy.
Keywords: COVID-19; Maternal Mental Health; Pandemic; Parenting Practices; Pregnant Women.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.