title: Wellbeing of new mothers.
abstract: This paper reports indicators of wellbeing and early parenting stress in a representative sample of first-time mothers in north-east England. A total of 185 mothers were recruited in the antenatal period to a controlled trial of an early parenting intervention. They were interviewed at home when the baby was aged around one month, and completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12) and the Parenting Daily Hassles Scale. Almost half of mothers reported psychological distress above the accepted GHQ12 cut-off point. However, distress was not related to variables such as low socio-economic status, as had been predicted. Early parenting stress was greater in relatively more educated and older mothers. New motherhood is likely to be stressful, even where mothers do not have postpartum depression, and so a range of supports is required.
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Sir James Spence Institute, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McConachie
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hammal
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.forename: Brigid
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waterston
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires