Taylor, BL;
Howard, LM;
Jackson, K;
Johnson, S;
Mantovani, N;
Nath, S;
Sokolova, AY;
(2021)
Mums Alone: Exploring the Role of Isolation and Loneliness in the Narratives of Women Diagnosed with Perinatal Depression.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
, 10
(11)
, Article 2271. 10.3390/jcm10112271.
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Abstract
In this study, we explore the role that isolation and loneliness play in the narratives of women diagnosed with perinatal depression. Isolation and loneliness are increasingly seen as risk factors for depression, including in the perinatal period, but little is known about whether, and in what ways, women themselves associate isolation or loneliness with perinatal distress. Based on the thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with fourteen mothers in England, we found that women often connected feelings of depression during and after pregnancy to feeling dislocated from their previous identities and relationships. Women felt lost, confined to their homes, and often unsupported by their partners and families. However, fears of being judged to be inadequate mothers made it difficult for women to make authentic connections with others or to express negative feelings, increasing isolation and depression. We drew on the intersectionality theory to illustrate how the intersect between motherhood and other aspects of women's identities (being young, single, deprived and/or from an ethnic minority) could leave some women particularly isolated and marginalised. Our conclusions emphasise the need to challenge social constructions of the good/bad mother, advocate for social change to lessen pressures on mothers, and develop support that addresses women's interpersonal contexts and social networks.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Mums Alone: Exploring the Role of Isolation and Loneliness in the Narratives of Women Diagnosed with Perinatal Depression |
| Location: | Switzerland |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3390/jcm10112271 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112271 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2021 by the Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | intersectionality, loneliness, mental health, perinatal, social isolation, thematic analysis |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10129311 |
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