Date
12-19-2023
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Erin Black
Keywords
social support, mental health, new mothers, postpartum depression, traditional support, online support, social media, phenomenological tradition, communication apprehension theory, media equation theory, interpersonal communication
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Hughes, Emily, "A New Mother’s Cry: Analyzing Traditional Social Support versus Online Social Support in Relation to the Postpartum Crisis" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5078.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5078
Abstract
The present study examines the gap that remains involving the transition from traditional to online social support that many mothers have participated in and how this change in communication methods during postpartum recovery may contribute to mental health disorders. This qualitative study aims to examine the differences in lived experiences among mothers regarding in-person and online forms of social support and how these experiences may impact a new mother’s mental well-being. Based on previous research, the present study hypothesizes that a more significant amount of online social support compared to in-person support will result in a detriment to a new mother’s mental well-being during postpartum recovery. The results demonstrated that online support group preferences were low, while participation was high. The opposite was also true regarding in-person social support methods. Preference levels for in-person support were high, while in-person support group participation was low. The findings indicated that informal in-person support methods were the most utilized during postpartum recovery. Additional findings demonstrated a gap that may remain regarding a new mother’s expectations of interpersonal social support and the received amount of this support method. Finally, despite positive reports regarding current support methods, mental health concerns remained prevalent among the studied population. Ultimately, the study provides endorsement for continued integration of in-person support methods during a new mother’s postpartum recovery.
