TY - JOUR
T1 - Maternal postpartum bonding impairment and increased substance use to cope with pandemic-related stress
AU - Roland, Alysa
AU - Dressler, Caitlin M.
AU - Shreffler, Karina M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Roland, Dressler and Shreffler.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Substance use rates, particularly among women, increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological and economic risks disproportionately experienced by women were associated with increase in substance use patterns during the pandemic. Using substances (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) to cope with stress is well-documented; what is less known are protective factors that were associated with less substance use during the pandemic. We examined whether mothers of young children (N = 96) who reported postpartum bonding impairment before the start of the pandemic reported greater substance use during the pandemic as a means to cope. Results from linear regression analyses found that mothers who reported higher levels of pre-pandemic mother-infant bonding impairments reported greater use of alcohol and other substances as a means to cope with pandemic stressors. These findings suggest that social connections might be a strategy to reduce substance use as a maladaptive coping behavior, especially during widespread crises such as the recent pandemic or for mothers of young children. In particular, promoting postpartum bonding through interventions might help to reduce substance use among new mothers.
AB - Substance use rates, particularly among women, increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological and economic risks disproportionately experienced by women were associated with increase in substance use patterns during the pandemic. Using substances (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) to cope with stress is well-documented; what is less known are protective factors that were associated with less substance use during the pandemic. We examined whether mothers of young children (N = 96) who reported postpartum bonding impairment before the start of the pandemic reported greater substance use during the pandemic as a means to cope. Results from linear regression analyses found that mothers who reported higher levels of pre-pandemic mother-infant bonding impairments reported greater use of alcohol and other substances as a means to cope with pandemic stressors. These findings suggest that social connections might be a strategy to reduce substance use as a maladaptive coping behavior, especially during widespread crises such as the recent pandemic or for mothers of young children. In particular, promoting postpartum bonding through interventions might help to reduce substance use among new mothers.
KW - coping
KW - COVID-19 pandemic
KW - maternal
KW - mental health
KW - Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ)
KW - substance use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192096419&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1275857
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1275857
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85192096419
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 15
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 1275857
ER -