Mothers’ Health and Work-Related Factors at 11 Weeks Postpartum

Pat McGovern; Bryan Dowd; Dwenda Gjerdingen; Rada Dagher; Laurie Ukestad; David McCaffrey; Ulf Lundberg

doi:10.1370/afm.751

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Reply to Kathleen Rospenda
Patricia M. McGovern

Published on: 12 December 2007
Consider work-family conflict and role-specific support for new mothers
Kathleen M. Rospenda

Published on: 06 December 2007

Published on: (12 December 2007)
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Reply to Kathleen Rospenda
Patricia M. McGovern, Minneapolis,MN, USA
Kathleen, thank you for your thoughtful comments regarding our paper. I agree that research is needed that investigates both work and non-work sources of stress on maternal health. We did that in another paper that two of our doctoral students took the lead on. "Giving Birth and Returning to Work: The Impact of Work–Family Conflict on Women’s Health After Childbirth," Grice M., Feda D., Mcgovern,P.,Alexander B., Mccaffrey...
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Kathleen, thank you for your thoughtful comments regarding our paper. I agree that research is needed that investigates both work and non-work sources of stress on maternal health. We did that in another paper that two of our doctoral students took the lead on. "Giving Birth and Returning to Work: The Impact of Work–Family Conflict on Women’s Health After Childbirth," Grice M., Feda D., Mcgovern,P.,Alexander B., Mccaffrey D.,Ukestad,L. Ann Epidemiol 2007;17:791–798.
I also agree that research should consider the effects of support specific to maternal roles as caregiver and employee. In our current paper we evaluated functional social support, or the degree to which interpersonal relationships served particular functions specific to family and friends. This included a measure with items assessing tangible support (such as help with daily chores including care-giving), emotional, positive social interaction, affectional support and informational support. In our current paper this measure was significantly associated with better mental health.
We also evaluated supervisor and coworker support for this paper. Only coworker support showed a significant association with health outcomes measures, specifically physical health. You correctly note that our measure of work-related support for this paper was assessed in relation to pregnancy. We chose that timing given that we measured our health outcomes at 11 weeks after childbirth when only 50% of women had returned to work. We thought that work-related support in the early weeks after childbirth would be less salient for mothers to recall given that the majority of mothers were still at home on leave.
I agree with your point that work-related support may change with time later in the year after childbirth such as when the mother takes time off to care a sick child. We designed our study to be longitudinal and in future papers will evaluate this research model (including social support at work and home) at later time points throughout the first 18 months postpartum.
Sincerely,
Pat McGovern
Competing interests: None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Published on: (6 December 2007)
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Consider work-family conflict and role-specific support for new mothers
Kathleen M. Rospenda, Chicago, USA
As a working mother, I applaud McGovern et al. for their important study of work-related factors that can influence a mother’s health. As a researcher of the interface between work and family roles, I have some suggestions for future research in this area, and for some issues for health care providers to consider when treating women returning to work after childbirth.
First, while this study shows the impact...
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As a working mother, I applaud McGovern et al. for their important study of work-related factors that can influence a mother’s health. As a researcher of the interface between work and family roles, I have some suggestions for future research in this area, and for some issues for health care providers to consider when treating women returning to work after childbirth.
First, while this study shows the impact of a woman’s job stress on health outcomes over time, research should incorporate both work and non- work sources of stress when looking at health outcomes, to better estimate the independent effects of each. With trends toward more women entering the workforce, more employed single parents, and more caring for both children and aging relatives, women are increasingly faced with balancing caregiving responsibilities at home with work demands (1). As such, they will also potentially face increased stress originating from the interface between work and family roles. This work-family conflict is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes (2), including problem drinking, particularly for those who endorse tension-reduction expectancies for alcohol use (3). Given that new motherhood is a stressful time for women, and alcohol is a readily-available substance in our society, health care providers should consider regularly inquiring about women’s stress levels and usual drinking habits and motives.
Second, research should consider the effects of support specific to a mother’s roles as caregiver and employee. The McGovern et al. study was limited to support prior to the birth, but coworkers and supervisors who are supportive of a pregnant worker may react less favorably when childcare issues affect work, e.g., when the woman needs to take time off to care for a sick child. Research shows that supervisor support of flexible work arrangements and other family-friendly policies is a key factor for reducing stress for employed parents (4). Support may be particularly critical to the health and mental health of unmarried mothers who may not have a partner to help share the caregiving burden. Family practitioners may want to inquire about a woman’s practical support system in addition to her emotional support system, and should consider offering information about community sources of support, such as childcare networks, or support groups for new mothers. Identifying and treating both health and mental health needs of new mothers can help ensure that they thrive physically and emotionally in the demanding dual roles of mother and worker.
1. Googins BK. Work/family conflicts: Private lives, public responses. Westport, CT: Auburn House; 1991.
2. Allen TD, Herst DEL, Bruck CS, Sutton M. Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 2000;5(2):278-308.
3. Frone MR, Russell M, Cooper ML. Relationship of work-family conflict, gender, and alcohol expectancies to alcohol use/abuse. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 1993;14(6):545-558.
4. Secret M, Sprang G. The effects of family-friendly workplace environments on work-family stress of employed parents. Journal of Social Service Research. 2001;28(2):21-45.
Competing interests: None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.