New moms who regularly post photos of their baby on Facebook might be more depressed than moms who don't engage in this activity. A new study looked into the effects of social media during one of the most trying months of parenting and learned why it's not actually helping mothers.
The study, which was published in the Sex Roles journal, cites that new mothers could be using Facebook to seek external validation for being a good parent. Hence, they regularly post their baby's photos or videos to feed the idea of what perfect moms should be.
But if what these moms share do not get enough comments or likes, then they could end up feeling bad about the lack of affirmation. The study learned that among the new moms who would post often on Facebook, many have been diagnosed with depressive symptoms within nine months.
The study sampled 127 women living in the Midwest and at least 85.7 percent are white women, per New York Magazine. About 87 percent are married and educated with college degrees. Half of the respondents have full-time jobs.
Moms Who Post on Facebook a Lot Are More Depressed https://t.co/sP31t7ts2J via @TheCut
— Jeffrey Kieslich (@jeffkies) May 26, 2016
Researchers from Ohio University conducted their study by surveying the new moms. In their analysis of the responses, it's the moms who are actively on Facebook that are also the ones who believe that society has such high demands for new mothers.
But the experts are not surprised by the results and cite that many women do turn to their roles as mother to seek outside validation. This is because it's the easiest. Being a mom is the most common role for women, even if they have stable jobs and other accomplishments. Society still doesn't hold other women roles in the same regard as motherhood.
Meanwhile, the lead author of the study, Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, said that depressive symptoms do not immediately equate to depression, so the results of the study should be interpreted carefully. She has this advice for new moms: "It's great to share stories and pictures of your baby, but relying on Facebook to feel good about your parenting may be risky," she said via EurekAlert.
