How do mothers exchange parenting-related information in online communities? A meta-synthesis

Femmes sans enfant par circonstance de la vie: partage d'experiences en ligne et production de Soi

The high social value placed on motherhood often means that childless women experience family and social stigmatization. Faced with this situation, some childless women join Internet discussion groups to share their experiences. Based on the testimonies of Quebec women who were involuntarily infertile, this article examines how online discussion groups enabled childless women to come together, support each other, denounce the forms of devaluation they suffered in the social and intimate spheres, and claim their specific role and place in their family and society. This article also demonstrates more broadly how participation in online discussion groups, as a place for exchange, sharing, and support, can transform how personal and family identity is constructed.

Identifying and comparing types of social comparisons on social networking sites among mothers with infants: Differences in maternal loneliness by types

PURPOSE

Loneliness among mothers of infants is a serious problem that leads to increased stress and depression. Social networking sites (SNS) are platforms commonly used by mothers to gain information and socialize; however, the sites can also lead to social comparison. This study aimed to identify and compare the types of parental social comparisons on SNS among mothers with infants and examine their differences regarding maternal loneliness.

METHODS

A random sampling cross-sectional survey of 233 Japanese mothers with infants aged 6-11 months old was conducted. The questionnaire considered the frequency of parental social comparisons on SNS and the associated positive/negative emotions, loneliness, perceived social support, SNS use, and participant characteristics. Hierarchical cluster analysis and analysis of covariance were used to examine differences in loneliness by social comparison type.

RESULTS

Identified types of parental social comparisons on SNS included: "Negative-leaning comparisons (n = 40)," "Ambivalent comparisons (n = 53)," "Heavy comparisons (n = 39)," and "Positive-leaning comparisons (n = 67)." The "non-comparative group (n = 34)" made no comparisons. The loneliness scores of the "Negative-leaning comparisons" group were significantly higher than those of the "Ambivalent comparisons," "Positive-leaning comparisons," and "Non-comparative" groups (p = 0.019, p = 0.017, and p < 0.001, respectively). Additionally, the loneliness scores of the "Heavy comparisons" group were higher than those of the "Non-comparative" group (p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

Interventions aimed at enhancing digital literacy among mothers and providing tailored support based on their social comparison types are crucial for mitigating the negative effects of parental social comparisons on SNS.

Challenges and support factors in managing type 2 diabetes among pregnant women in Thailand: A convergent mixed-methods study

Background

Sociocultural and behavioral factors have a multifaceted impact on maternal health. In Thailand, cultural influences significantly shape behaviors of diabetes self-management in women. However, the experience of self-managing diabetes in pregnant women with preexisting Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) remains unclear.

Objectives

The study aimed to explore challenges and support factors of diabetes self-management among pregnant women with preexisting T2DM in Thailand, and to compare these factors between women in two groups (optimal and suboptimal maternal health outcomes).

Methods

A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted at a tertiary hospital (March to October 2022). Eligible participants were Thai pregnant women, aged 20-44, diagnosed with T2DM. Participants first completed a questionnaire and then were interviewed about diabetes self-management. Maternal health outcomes (i.e., gestational weight gain and glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) were reviewed and extracted. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative analysis, while directed content analysis was used for qualitative data. Side-by-side matrices were used to describe the qualitative subthemes with quantitative results.

Results

Twelve Thai pregnant women participated in the study, aged 27 to 40 years, with gestational ages ranging from 7 to 38 weeks and T2DM diagnoses spanning from 3 weeks to 10 years. Half of the participants were obese before pregnancy. Weight gain patterns revealed that 41.67% had inadequate gain, 33.33% had optimal gain, and 25% had excessive gain. HbA1C levels indicated that 75% had good glycemic control. Three women achieved optimal weight gain and glycemic control, while nine exhibited suboptimal health outcomes. We identified six main themes: 1) challenges at the individual level in managing diabetes, 2) support factors at the individual level for diabetes management, 3) challenges at the interpersonal level in controlling diet, 4) interpersonal support factors for managing diabetes, 5) challenges at the societal level in accessing healthcare, and 6) societal support factors for healthcare access.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that managing diabetes during pregnancy necessitates dynamic, patient-centered care throughout the pregnancy journey. Regarding the clinical implication, it is important to tailor approaches to the Thai context and to prioritize education and boost women's confidence in managing diabetes throughout pregnancy.

Parental Information-Use Strategies in a Digital Parenting Environment and Their Associations With Parental Social Support and Self-Efficacy: Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

In today's digital society, the acquisition of parenting information through online platforms such as social networking sites (SNSs) has become widespread. Amid the mix of online and offline information sources, there is a need to discover effective information-seeking methods for solving parenting problems.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify patterns of information use among parents of young children in the digital age and elucidate the characteristics of these patterns through a comparative analysis of parental social support and self-efficacy.

METHODS

An internet-based survey was administered to fathers and mothers of children aged 0-3 years. Convenience sampling, facilitated by an internet-based survey company, was adopted, and data from 227 fathers and 206 mothers were analyzed. The survey included questions on personal characteristics, frequency of use of different sources of parenting information (websites, SNSs, parenting apps, family, friends, and professionals), availability of parental social support, and parental self-efficacy. The Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) clustering algorithm was used to identify patterns in parenting information use.

RESULTS

A total of 4 clusters were identified: multisource gatherers (n=161), offline-centric gatherers (n=105), online-centric gatherers (n=86), and minimal information gatherers (n=68). The availability of parental social support was perceived to be relatively higher among multisource and offline-centric gatherers compared with online-centric and minimal information gatherers. Parental self-efficacy was highest among multisource gatherers, followed by offline-centric and online-centric gatherers, and lowest among minimal information gatherers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to the evidence that online information can effectively complement offline information in addressing parenting challenges, although its ability to fully replace offline sources remains limited. Parenting support professionals are encouraged to understand parents' current information use strategies and actively foster their social relationships, helping them to adopt more diverse and comprehensive approaches to information use.

Perceived Experiences and Needs of Digital Resources Among Postpartum Women in the United Arab Emirates: Qualitative Focus Group Study

BACKGROUND

The postpartum period is a critical phase in a woman's life, marked by various physical, psychological, and social challenges. In light of the rapid proliferation and uptake of digital technologies, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), mothers increasingly seek informational and emotional support from digital resources. No previous study has thoroughly explored the usage of various digital resources beyond telehealth services in the UAE. This literature gap is particularly relevant for the postpartum period, which remains largely understudied in the UAE.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to delve into the digital experiences of postpartum women in the UAE by exploring the types of resources they navigate and the purposes those resources serve. In addition, it seeks to identify their perspectives and needs regarding digital resources that support their postpartum journey.

METHODS

Four focus groups were conducted synchronously on the web, involving a total of 27 multicultural mothers (mean age 32.47, SD 4.56 years), between 2 and 12 months post partum and living in the UAE. Descriptive interpretive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Sixteen out of 27 women exhibited severe depressive symptoms at the time of the discussions (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score of >12). Two main themes were generated from the analysis: (1) Mothers' Experiences with Digital Resources: Participants valued digital resources for providing immediate information, convenience, and support. They primarily used these resources to seek information on infant health, parenting advice, and emotional support through web-based communities. However, the abundance of conflicting information and the pressure to conform to health recommendations often created stress and anxiety. (2) The Perceived Need for Digital Resources: Despite their extensive use of digital resources, mothers articulated the need for a reliable UAE government digital platform tailored specifically to postpartum care, offering trusted information on infant health and postpartum mental well-being. They also emphasized the need for tailored postpartum telemedicine services and moderated web-based discussion forums to foster peer support among mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals the multifaceted role of digital resources in supporting mothers during the postpartum period, highlighting unmet needs that present opportunities for advancing postpartum care in the UAE. It demonstrates the importance of developing reliable digital solutions for postpartum women, especially regarding mental health and to enhance access to care through tailored telemedicine services. Collaborative efforts are required to ensure the implementation of user-centered digital platforms. Future research should focus on the diverse needs of postpartum women, including cultural sensitivity, the feasibility of telemedicine services, and the integration of partner support in digital interventions to improve maternal health outcomes.

Sources and perceived credibility of child nutrition information in relation to maternal health literacy

OBJECTIVE

To examine sources and perceived credibility of child nutrition information by maternal health literacy.

METHODS

US mothers of children (0-12 years) who used social media regularly (N = 340) completed an online survey. Health literacy was assessed using the Newest Vital Sign. Child nutrition information sources and perceived credibility of sources were compared by health literacy using logistic and quantile regression models.

RESULTS

Seventeen percent of mothers had limited health literacy. Compared to mothers with adequate health literacy, those with limited health literacy were more likely to get child nutrition information from siblings, extended family, dietitians, doctors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants, and government agencies, and less likely to get information from Facebook. Mothers with limited health literacy rated information from parents, friends, Facebook, and Instagram as more credible than mothers with adequate health literacy. While perceived credibility of information from doctors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants was high overall, mothers with limited health literacy perceived information from these health care providers as less credible.

CONCLUSIONS

Sources of child nutrition information and perceived credibility differ by maternal health literacy.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Pediatric providers are encouraged to refer parents to engaging resources that provide evidence-based child nutrition information.

Associating Parental Efficacy with the Utility of Smart Devices: A Cross-Sectional Study of Their Role in Alleviating Maternal Parenting Concerns among Infants Aged 6-11 Months

In digital societies, the use of smart devices to solve childcare problems has become commonplace. Mothers are influenced both positively and negatively by smart devices used to resolve childcare concerns. Focusing on parental self-efficacy, this study identified the factors associated with relief and anxiety caused by the use of smart devices to eliminate parenting concerns among mothers with infants. A random sampling cross-sectional survey was administered to 257 Japanese mothers with infants aged 6-11 months. Structural equation modeling was used to explain the relief and anxiety caused by their use of smart devices in terms of maternal demographics, parental self-efficacy, smart-device dependence, and confidence in their ability to discriminate information. Mothers with high parental self-efficacy experienced increased relief and reduced anxiety by using smart devices to address concerns about child-rearing practices. Mothers who were highly dependent on smart devices felt more secure with their use of smart devices. Homemakers and highly educated mothers who used smart devices because of concerns regarding child health and development experienced more anxiety. Parenting professionals need to recognize the effectiveness of smart devices as a tool to relieve anxiety in parenting and provide additional support for parents to improve their parenting self-efficacy.

Exploring experiences and needs of perinatal women in digital healthcare: A meta-ethnography of qualitative evidence

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to identify, appraise, and synthesize the available qualitative evidence on the experiences and needs of perinatal women by using digital technologies in healthcare.

METHODS

This review was consolidated following the eMERGe meta-ethnography reporting guidance. We conducted a comprehensive search in eight databases from inception to 12 October 2021. Published and unpublished qualitative and mixed-method studies published in English were included. The methodological quality was assessed using the critical appraisal skill program checklist. A meta-ethnographic synthesis was used according to Noblit and Hare's seven-step iterative process.

RESULTS

A total of 3,843 articles were retrieved, and 27 qualitative studies pertaining to 3,775 perinatal women from 13 countries across different ethnicities were included. Four overarching themes emerged for the aspect of experiences: (1) normalization of experience, (2) attainment of valuable knowledge, (3) empowerment and self-confidence boosting, and (4) beneficial features of digital platforms. For the aspect of needs, the derived themes included the following: (1) necessity of credible resources, (2) importance of personalization, (3) concern about cybersecurity, and (4) urging additional support. Our line-of-argument for interpreting the perinatal women's experiences can offer a much greater engagement in digital healthcare, while the findings on the perinatal women's needs can add value for improving the design of digital healthcare in the future.

CONCLUSION

This review offers a deeper understanding of the perinatal women's experiences and needs when using digital technologies in healthcare. Our findings provide meaningful recommendations for clinical practice and future research.

"Ganja Mamas": Online discussions about cannabis use in pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Nearly 5 % of pregnant women in the United States use cannabis. However, expecting mothers often do not seek counsel from their healthcare providers about prenatal cannabis use due to stigma and legal ramifications. Instead, cannabis-using pregnant women turn to each other to learn. Online message boards have become a safe place for parents to seek answers anonymously in real-time. The objective of this study was to examine the information-seeking/giving behaviors of cannabis-using pregnant women on an online community forum.

METHODS

We extracted 151 original messages and 1260 corresponding comments posted over a 7-day period from Whattoexpect.com's "Ganja Mamas" forum. We iteratively developed a codebook with 16 categories to reflect information-seeking behavior. N = 131 unique forum members posted questions for comment.

RESULTS

Approximately half, 46.56 %, reported their geographic location (24 states), and 40.46 % reported gestational age. The top topics for which members sought out information were testing, state-specific questions, postpartum, child protective services (CPS), hospital-specific questions, birth announcements, methods of cannabis use, quitting, breastfeeding/pumping, pregnancy symptoms, mental health, general health and pregnancy, and quantity of cannabis use. The second phase of analysis was based on members' responses. Clustered codes indicated how the respondents were using the forum: (1) interviewing and geographic location, (2) knowledge, experience, and reassurance, (3) congratulations and relief, and (4) concealing cannabis use and symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that mothers on an online cannabis forum are seeking information about location-specific experiences pertaining mostly to testing and child protective services. Additionally, mothers are responding by geographic-specific interviewing, and are expressing relief and reassurance in response to members' experiences.

Expectant, anxious and excited: the information journey of Chinese first-time mothers

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the information needs and behaviors of Chinese first-time mothers from the perspective of information journey theory.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the popular coding language Python to write a program to extract 366 posts published by first-time mothers in the Babytree community of China's largest maternal and infant platform. Content analysis is used to analyze and encode the collected data.

Findings

This study summarizes the information needs of first-time mothers in China specifically, which includes six aspects of health, pregnancy care, postpartum parenting, socialization, self-actualization, and entertainment. Then, based on its hierarchical and stage characteristics, more flexible information needs matrix for Chinese first-time mothers has been developed to reflect their changing 15 types of information needs more fully. Finally, it constructs the information journey model of Chinese first-time mothers including five stages.

Originality/value

This is the first time that information journey theory has been applied to the research on information needs and behaviors of first-time mothers. The authors have also further expanded the information seeking and acquisition phases and found new gaps in the phases to further refine the information journey model. This study can help us better understand the online information needs and behaviors of Chinese first-time mothers and provide support for organizations and online health community managers to develop new information services or improve the quality of existing services.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-10-2021-0538.

Perinatal support for couples during COVID-19: A descriptive qualitative study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the perspectives of parents during the perinatal period amid the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the experiences of Singaporean parents receiving perinatal support via the Supportive Parenting App (SPA).

BACKGROUND

The stressors accompanying parenting responsibilities often affect the overall well-being of the family unit. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singaporean parents are forced to shoulder childcare responsibilities with minimal support due to safety restrictions. The Supportive Parenting Application (SPA) was introduced to parents during the start of the pandemic to offer timely additional support. It is a mobile health application-based educational support for parents across the perinatal period, consisting of features such as peer support, expert advice and discussion forums.

DESIGN

Descriptive qualitative study.

METHODS

Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted with 33 parents (16 from the control group, 17 from the intervention group) in an ongoing randomised controlled trial between June 2021 and February 2022. The COREQ checklist was used to guide the reporting of the data.

RESULTS

Four themes with 10 subthemes describing the perinatal experiences of parents were identified. The themes include 'Ups and downs' of parenting experiences; Perinatal care from 'best care' to 'flying blind'; What kept couples going and Use of technology-a way forward.

CONCLUSION

Although COVID-19 negatively affected parents' availability of care and support, most could still access other support sources to help them. Additionally, the SPA was found to be a dependable information source for the intervention group parents. Future research could work on improving technology-based support based on the feedback given to offer better quality perinatal care for parents.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Technology-based support provided by healthcare professionals helps provide reliable perinatal information and support for parents. More efforts should be directed towards developing quality informational resources and support to improve perinatal care.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Patients/members of the public contributed to the data collected and were involved in member checking to ensure the rigour of the study.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NHG DSRB: 2019/00875.

Facebook Feeds and Child Feeding: A Qualitative Study of Thai Mothers in Online Child Feeding Support Groups

Mothers have traditionally sought child feeding information from social connections. While mothers are heavily engaged on social media and value peer support in online communities, very little is known about how they use online communities for information about child feeding practices after exclusive breastfeeding cessation. This study explores mothers' perceptions of joining Facebook child feeding support groups. Individual semi-structured interviews with ten Thai mothers were conducted. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological hermeneutical approach. Our findings highlighted that Thai mothers participated in Facebook child feeding support groups in a deliberate effort to reduce their uncertainty by normalizing the process through accessing the shared experiences of others. One of their intentions was to seek menu recipes based on favorable psychosocial and environmental factors. Implications for using social media in health promotion and communication include the importance of building appropriate common practices through social collaboration and interactivity to supplement traditional knowledge and attitudes.

Examining the information seeking and sharing activities in a virtual community of librarians

The study examines the information exchange activities among librarians when communicating in a virtual community. Specifically, the study explores the kind of information librarians seek or share in a virtual community. The study also explores how librarians react to the shared or sought-for information in a virtual community. This study was carried out on 50 librarians in community of practice on a WhatsApp platform. Netnography as a research design was used in this study. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis techniques. The findings show that librarians share information that encourage and support one another. The findings also show that librarians share and seek related information on career and institutional work, thought-provoking information and personality quotes. In reaction to the shared information, librarians peruse shared information for their authenticity. Librarians share appreciative messages in reaction to the sharing of important and educative information. In the situation of misinformation or where suspicious information is shared, librarians counter the shared information in reaction by posting messages cautioning librarians to beware of scam.