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Maternal Age and Postpartum Depression During the Transition to Parenthood

Gross, Christi L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1469719216

Abstract Details

2016, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology.
The transition to parenthood can be a challenging, stressful period for individuals across a range of social locations (e.g., Cowan and Cowan 1995; Doss, Cicila, Hsueh, Morrison and Carhart 2014). This dissertation research focuses on a key factor that may influence the success of this transition: the age of mothers during the birth of their first child. Although U.S. couples are increasingly delaying entry into parenthood (National Center for Health Statistics 2009), the impact of maternal age on postpartum mental health during this transition remains an understudied area within the social sciences. To address this existing gap in the literature, I examine the relationship between maternal age at first birth and postpartum depression, with a specific focus on the structural and individual level factors that contribute to this relationship. I draw on two social psychological approaches, the life-course perspective and the social structure and personality framework, to highlight the connections between social position and personal resources in the context of this important transition. To examine these theoretical relationships, I analyze data from a national survey on motherhood, Listening to Mothers II: Second National U.S. Survey of Women’s Childbearing Experiences (Childbirth Connection 2006). Contrary to my expectations, I found that maternal age was not significantly associated with PPD for the mothers in my sample. My results also suggest that perceptions regarding maternal physical health and baby’s physical health, as well as factors associated with the childbirth process, such as experiencing negative feelings during birth and level of perceived control during birth, mattered toward mothers’ psychological well-being during this critical transitional period.
Kristen Marcussen, PhD (Committee Chair)
Tiffany Taylor, PhD (Committee Member)
Manacy Pai, PhD (Committee Member)
Adrianne Frech, PhD (Committee Member)
Rhonda Richardson, PhD (Committee Member)
Josefina Grau, PhD (Committee Member)
137 p.
Mental Health; Social Psychology; Sociology
transition to parenthood; postpartum depression; maternal age; life-course; social structure and personality

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gross, C. L. (2016). Maternal Age and Postpartum Depression During the Transition to Parenthood [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1469719216

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gross, Christi. Maternal Age and Postpartum Depression During the Transition to Parenthood. 2016. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1469719216.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gross, Christi. "Maternal Age and Postpartum Depression During the Transition to Parenthood." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1469719216

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1469719216
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.