Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: Single, new birth mothers who endure stress during pregnancy are particularly vulnerable to adverse consequences, such as depression. Social support has been frequently examined as a conditional variable in the relationship between stress and mental health outcomes. Less is known, however, about the protective nature of social support for new mothers who have experienced chronic stress. The nature of these relationships is even less understood among marginalized populations and mothers who are married, cohabiting with a partner, or single. This study examines longitudinal data on multiple sources of chronic stress, social support, and depression among a nationally representative sample of low-income, new birth mothers in urban cities.

Methods: The sample drawn for this analysis included 4,898 mothers who participated in the first three phases of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national longitudinal panel study that has a representative sample of marital and non-marital births in U.S. urban cities with populations of 200,000 or more. Baseline data were collected on approximately 3,711 unmarried and 1,187 married parents. Follow-up data were collected at one year and three years post baseline assessment. This analysis includes longitudinal data across three time points. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between sources of chronic stress and depression, and the buffering effect of social support on these relationships.

Results: Average mothers were 26 years old with a high school diploma or G.E.D. and had a mean total household income of $31,000 in the previous year. Sixty-nine percent of mothers were not married. The sample consisted of 48% African American, 26% Latina, 21% white, 3% Asian, and 2% other. Multivariate results indicate that chronic stress increases the likelihood of being depressed, particularly for single mothers. Greater social support reduces the impact of chronic stress and is associated with fewer depressive symptoms. The extent to which social support buffers the relationship between chronic stress and depression depends on the mothers' race/ethnicity, family structure, and number of children.

Implications: This study provides a unique opportunity to examine the relationships among chronic stress, social support, and depression among a large, nationally representative sample of new mothers in urban cities. The findings generally support our hypotheses that, chronic stress is associated with depression, particularly for single mothers, and social support moderates the relationship between chronic stress and depression. It is important to focus on reducing stressors and strengthening social support in the context of social work practice and policy. Given the rise in out-of-wedlock births, it may be particularly important to monitor this group and initiate practices and policies that focus on increasing social support in urban cities.