@article{cea6c4e4e588421fb2c2343198681686,
title = "Mental Health across Motherhood Status: An Examination of Mediating Factors",
abstract = "Motherhood represents a valued status in American culture especially for biological mothers within stable first-marriages. Focusing on partnered women, this study examined how and why mental health differed across three motherhood statuses: biological-only, step-only, and double mothers (i.e., both biological and step). Using data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB), we found lower life satisfaction among step-only and double mothers compared to biological-only mothers. More economic hardship, lower quality romantic relationships, and higher rates of cohabitation fully explained the differences between biological-only and double mothers in life satisfaction. Differences between biological-only and step-only mothers are partially explained by self-esteem and cohabitation. Double mothers also reported higher psychological distress than biological-only mothers. This difference is partially explained by lower romantic relationship quality and more economic hardship among double mothers. We found no differences in psychological distress between step-only and biological-only mothers.",
keywords = "cohabitation/informal marriages, dyadic relationship/quality/satisfaction, economic issues, family demography, remarriage, step-families",
author = "Pritchard, {Kayla M.} and Falci, {Christina D.}",
note = "Funding Information: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5780-3934 Pritchard Kayla M. 1 Falci Christina D. 2 1 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA 2 University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA Kayla M. Pritchard, Ph.D., South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA. Email: Kayla.pritchard@sdsmt.edu 11 2019 0192513X19885160 {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2019 2019 SAGE Publications Motherhood represents a valued status in American culture especially for biological mothers within stable first-marriages. Focusing on partnered women, this study examined how and why mental health differed across three motherhood statuses: biological-only, step-only, and double mothers (i.e., both biological and step). Using data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB), we found lower life satisfaction among step-only and double mothers compared to biological-only mothers. More economic hardship, lower quality romantic relationships, and higher rates of cohabitation fully explained the differences between biological-only and double mothers in life satisfaction. Differences between biological-only and step-only mothers are partially explained by self-esteem and cohabitation. Double mothers also reported higher psychological distress than biological-only mothers. This difference is partially explained by lower romantic relationship quality and more economic hardship among double mothers. We found no differences in psychological distress between step-only and biological-only mothers. family demography step-families remarriage cohabitation/informal marriages dyadic relationship/quality/satisfaction economic issues national institute of child health and human development https://doi.org/10.13039/100000071 #1R01HD044144 01A1 edited-state corrected-proof Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The data for this paper was supported by NICHD grant #1R01HD044144 01A1. ORCID iD Kayla M. Pritchard https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5780-3934 ",
year = "2020",
month = aug,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0192513X19885160",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "41",
pages = "1083--1111",
journal = "Journal of Family Issues",
issn = "0192-513X",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",
number = "8",
}