Exploring the connection between maternal mental health and partnership, parental role, and satisfaction with various aspects of life using pairfam data: a cross-sectional analysis

Background

Decreased maternal mental health leads to difficulties for the mother herself and for her family life. In Germany, inpatient mother-/father-child preventive and rehabilitation clinics are addressing these parental health problems. Further analysis, however, is needed in order to better understand the origins of impaired parental health and to improve the interventions. The present study focuses on maternal mental health and its association with strains related to mothers’ parental role, their partnership, and satisfaction with various aspects of life.

Methods

For this cross-sectional study data from the relationship and family panel pairfam, wave 11, were used. Mothers in a cohabiting relationship with at least one child living in their household were examined. T-tests were employed to compare mentally stressed and mentally not stressed mothers in terms of (1) partnership (disagreements with partner, own destructive conflict behaviour, partner support and recognition), (2) parental competence, (unspecific strain, missing autonomy, and overprotectiveness in the parental role), and (3) satisfaction with work-life balance, leisure activities, friends and social contacts, and family. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted, with the mental health composite scale of the Short Form 12 (Version 2.0) Health Survey as the dependent variable, and the previously mentioned variables as independent variables.

Results

Among 1,441 mothers in partnership, 153 (10.6%) were mentally stressed. Mean comparisons indicated significantly poorer values for mentally stressed mothers across all variables. The results of the linear regression model demonstrated a correlation between maternal mental health and disagreements with the partner (B=-1.318, p =.002), own destructive conflict behaviour (B=-1.232, p =.002), parental competence (B = 1.606, p <.001), unspecific strain (B=-1.402, p <.001), missing autonomy (B=-0.732, p =.030), overprotectiveness (B=-1.015, p <.001), and satisfaction with work-life balance (B=-2.537, p =.003), and family (B = 0.432, p =.029).

Conclusions

The findings of this study are consistent with the existing literature, indicating that parental role has the strongest connection with maternal stress. Additionally, novel findings have been identified, including the significant associations of partnership conflict and satisfaction with work-life balance and maternal mental health.