“Do you dare to compare?” Associations between maternal social comparisons on social networking sites and parenting, mental health, and romantic relationship outcomes

Coyne, Sarah M.; McDaniel, Brandon T.; Stockdale, Laura

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.081

Cited by 93 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…However, there seems to be a paucity of evidence about the impact of technologies on maternal well-being. In keeping with research pointing to the potential negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health [ 60 ], postnatal women ( n = 721, mean age 30.4 years) who made social comparisons on social networking websites were found to be at increased risk of various detrimental outcomes, including perceptions of lower parental competence, lower social support and higher levels of depression [ 61 ]. On the other hand, another study with new mothers ( n = 157, average age 27 years) reported that blogging, but not social networking, was associated with feelings of connection to extended family and friends which then predicted perceptions of social support and, in turn, maternal well-being [ 21 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Associations between social support, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy and technology use in first-time antenatal women: data from the BaBBLeS cohort study

Ginja

Coad

Bailey

et al. 2018

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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BackgroundInformation and communication technologies are used increasingly to facilitate social networks and support women during the perinatal period. This paper presents data on how technology use affects the association between women’s social support and, (i) mental wellbeing and, (ii) self-efficacy in the antenatal period.MethodsData were collected as part of an ongoing study - the BaBBLeS study - exploring the effect of a pregnancy and maternity software application (app) on maternal wellbeing and self-efficacy. Between September 2016 and February 2017, we aimed to recruit first-time pregnant women at 12–16 gestation weeks in five maternity sites across England and asked them to complete questionnaires. Outcomes included maternal mental wellbeing (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale), and antenatal self-efficacy (antenatal version of the Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy). Other variables assessed were perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), general technology use (adapted from Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale). Potential confounders were age, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic deprivation, employment, relationship status and recruitment site. Linear regression models were developed to analyse the relationship between social support and the outcomes.ResultsParticipants (n = 492, median age = 28 years) were predominantly white British (64.6%). Half of them had a degree or higher degree (49.3%), most were married/living with a partner (83.6%) and employed (86.2%). Median (LQ-UQ) overall scores were 81.0 (74.0–84.0) for social support (range 12–84), 5.1 (4.7–5.4) for technology use (range 1–6), 54.0 (48.0–60.0) for mental well-being (range 14–70), and 319.0 (295.5–340) for self-efficacy (range 0–360). Social support was significantly associated with antenatal mental well-being adjusting for confounders [adj R2 = 0.13, p < .001]. The addition of technology use did not alter this model [adj R2 = 0.13, p < .001]. Social support was also significantly associated with self-efficacy after adjustment [adj R2 = 0.14, p < .001]; technology had limited impact on this association [adj R2 = 0.13, p < .001].ConclusionsSocial support is associated with mental well-being and self-efficacy in antenatal first-time mothers. This association was not significantly affected by general technology use as measured in our survey. Future work should investigate whether pregnancy-specific technologies yield greater potential to enhance the perceived social support, wellbeing and self-efficacy of antenatal women.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12884-018-2049-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Associations between social support, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy and technology use in first-time antenatal women: data from the BaBBLeS cohort study

Ginja

Coad

Bailey

et al. 2018

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…This is likely due to feelings of wasted time (Sagioglou & Greitemeyer, ) and social comparisons that are inherently made with one's social network on social media sites (Vogel, Rose, Roberts, & Eckles, )—many of whom are presenting their best selves. Mothers also make these social comparisons on social media (Coyne, McDaniel, & Stockdale, ).…”

Section: Why Do Parents Use Phones While With Children?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Parent distraction with phones, reasons for use, and impacts on parenting and child outcomes: A review of the emerging research

McDaniel

2019

Human Behav and Emerg Tech

Self Cite

144

132

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The current article reviews the emerging research related to parent distraction with phones and mobile devices. From this review, it is clear that parent distraction with phones and mobile devices while around children has become common. This is concerning, as the evidence suggests links with parenting and child outcomes—such as lower awareness and sensitivity, fewer verbal and nonverbal interactions, less coordinated parenting and coparenting, dissatisfaction with time spent together, and negative child reactions (e.g., problem behaviors). The issue is complex, however, as many reasons may drive parents to use devices around children, such as strong habits, device notifications, work/social pressures, parenting stress, and boredom or loneliness. Ultimately, parenting is affected due to displacement of time with children, difficulty of multitasking between device and child, and the emotions and stresses that can come from device use. Research gaps are found and future directions are proposed. Most findings come from self‐reports or observations. More longitudinal and experimental work is needed to establish causation. Furthermore, as parents and children are concerned about phone use during family time, it is important for evidence‐based programs to be developed to address healthy device habits specifically during family time and social interactions.

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“…As previously mentioned, downward comparison can boost one's self-concept and Amaro, Joseph, and de los Santos (2019) demonstrated that this effect does occur in new mothers engaged in social media comparison. However, other work has shown that social media based comparison in mothers is related to depression and lower reported parental competence (Coyne, McDaniel, & Stockdale, 2017). Due to the self-selecting nature of the InstaMum group, alongside the image enhancing qualities of social media, we assume that the social comparison that occurs as a result of engaging with InstaMums will be upwards comparison.…”

Section: Social Comparison and Other Moderatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instagram Use, InstaMums, and Anxiety in Mothers of Young Children

Moujaes

Verrier

2021

Journal of Media Psychology

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Abstract. The emergence of social media has revolutionized communication and has had a profound effect on many aspects of motherhood. Image-centric social media, despite its overwhelming popularity, has faced much criticism for over-idealistic portrayals and the pressures it may place on women throughout pregnancy and the early years of their child’s life. This research aimed to determine whether a significant relationship exists between postnatal anxiety and Instagram usage in mothers with young children. The associational, cross-sectional design uses a sample of 210 mothers, aged 22–45, who have one or more children aged under 5 years. An online questionnaire measured anxiety, Instagram usage, and several potentially moderating traits. We found that the relationship between anxiety and online engagement with InstaMums – mothers made famous by Instagram – was moderated by both social comparison orientation and self-esteem. Engagement with InstaMums was associated with greater anxiety in those with higher social comparison orientation; it was also associated with greater anxiety in those with lower self-esteem. These findings are discussed in connection with social comparison theory, implications for healthy social media use, as well as avenues for future research.

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“Do you dare to compare?” Associations between maternal social comparisons on social networking sites and parenting, mental health, and romantic relationship outcomes

Cited by 93 publications

References 38 publications

Associations between social support, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy and technology use in first-time antenatal women: data from the BaBBLeS cohort study

Associations between social support, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy and technology use in first-time antenatal women: data from the BaBBLeS cohort study

Parent distraction with phones, reasons for use, and impacts on parenting and child outcomes: A review of the emerging research

Instagram Use, InstaMums, and Anxiety in Mothers of Young Children

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