“Let me know when I’m needed”: Exploring the gendered nature of digital technology use for health information seeking during the transition to parenting

This paper presents results of a qualitative descriptive study conducted to understand parents’ experiences with digital technologies during their transition to parenting (i.e. the period from pre-conception through postpartum). Individuals in southwest Ontario who had become a new parent within the previous 24 months were recruited to participate in a focus group or individual interview. Participants were asked to describe the type of technologies they/their partner used during their transition to parenthood, and how such technologies were used to support their own and their family's health. Focus group and interview transcripts were then subjected to thematic analysis using inductive coding. Ten focus groups and three individual interviews were conducted with 26 heterosexual female participants. Participants primarily used digital technologies to: (1) seek health information for a variety of reproductive health issues, and (2) establish social and emotional connections. The nature of such health information work was markedly gendered and was categorized by 2 dominant themes. First, “‘Let me know when I’m needed’”, characterizes fathers’ apparent avoidance of health information seeking and resultant creation of mothers as lay information mediaries. Second, “Information Curation”, captures participants’ belief that gender biases built-in to popular parenting apps and resources reified the gendered nature of health and health information work during the transition to parenting. Overall, findings indicate that digital technology tailored to new and expecting parents actively reinforced gender norms regarding health information seeking, which creates undue burden on new mothers to become the sole health information seeker and interpreter for their family.

Investigation of Digital Technology Use in the Transition to Parenting (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The transition to parenting – that is, the journey from pre-conception through pregnancy and postpartum periods – is one of the most emotionally charged and information intense times for individuals and families. While there is a developing body of literature on the use and impact of digital technology on the information behaviors of children, adolescents and young adults, personal use of digital technology during the transition to parenting and in support of infants to 2 years of age is relatively understudied. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to enhance our understanding of the ways digital technologies contribute to the experience of the transition to parenting; particularly the role these technologies play in organizing and structuring emerging pregnancy and early parenting practices. METHODS A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to understand new parents’ experiences with and uses of digital technology during four-stages – pre-natal, pregnancy, labour, and post-partum – of their transition to becoming a new parent. A purposive sampling strategy was implemented using snowball sampling techniques to recruit participants who had become a parent within the previous 24 months. Focus groups and follow up interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guides that inquired about parents' type and use of technologies for self and family health. Transcribed audio recordings were thematic analyzed. RESULTS A total of 13 focus groups and three individual interviews were completed with 26 participants. While recruitment efforts targeted parents of all genders and sexual orientations, all participants identified as heterosexual women. Participants reported prolific use of digital technologies to direct fertility (e.g. ovulation timing); information seeking regarding development of their fetus, to prepare for labour and delivery, and in searching for a sense of community during postpartum. Participants expressed their need for these technologies to assist them in the day-to-day demands of preparing for and undertaking parenting, yet expressed concerns about their personal patterns of use, and the potential negative impacts their use. Three themes generated from the data included:“Is this normal; is this happening to you?!”, “Am I having a heart attack; what is this?”, “Anyone can put anything on Wikipedia”: Trustworthiness of Digital Information. CONCLUSIONS Digital technologies were used by mothers to track menstrual cycles during preconception; monitor, document, and announce a pregnancy during the prenatal stage; prepare for delivery during labour/birth stage; and to help babies sleep, document/announce their birth, and to connect to parenting resources during the post-partum stage. Mothers used digital technologies to reassure themselves that their experiences were normal or to seek help when they were abnormal. Digital technologies provided mothers with convenient means to access health information from a range of sources yet mothers were apprehensive about the credibility and trustworthiness of the information they retrieved. Further research should seek to understand how men and fathers use digital technologies during their transition to parenting. Additionally, further research should critically examine how constant access to information effects mothers’ perceived need to self-monitor and further understand the unintended health consequences of constant surveillance on new parents.

The Effect of an Empowerment Training Program on the Difficulty of the Transition to Parenthood and Parenting Stress: A Quasi-Experimental Study Among Iranian Primiparous Women

Background: The process of becoming a mother is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling events in women's lives. Maternity for the first time can be stressful and also can increase anxiety in women. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effect of an empowerment training program on the difficulty of transitioning to parenting as well as parenting stress of primiparous mothers. Methods: The sample of this quasi-experimental study consisted of 78 primiparous women who were selected due to convenient sampling. Participants completed the demographic, difficulty in transition to parenting, and parenting stress questionnaires before and after the study. The participants received four training sessions (the first session was face to face at 3-5 days after childbirth and subsequent training sessions were conducted by telephone at 2, 4, and 6 weeks postpartum) based on the self-efficacy model. Results: The mean age of the participants in the study was 27.012 ± 4.99 years. The results of the Wilcoxon test showed that training significantly reduced parenting difficulty (P value = 0.0001, z = -7.626) and parental stress (P value = 0.0001, z = -7.50). The mean score of parenting difficulty decreased from 97.02 ± 17.34 to 81.65 ± 15.45, and the mean parental stress score decreased from 80.08 ± 22.53 to 61.13 ± 12.20. The results also indicated that education in all four domains (responsibility and commitment, satisfaction, self-esteem, and personal commitment) significantly reduced the difficulty of the transition to parenting (P value = 0.0001). According to the results, training has also been effective in reducing the difficulty of transitioning to parenting in terms of maternal concerns, enjoyment, change in life, new challenges of mother’s postpartum feeling. Conclusions: The outcomes of the present study highlight the effectiveness of empowerment training on the difficulty of the transition to parenting as well as parenting stress in primiparous mothers.

Employment, Parental Responsibility, and Psychological Distress

This article uses panel data from 745 married women in the Detroit Metropolitan Area to examine the mental health effects of employment and parenting status changes. Contrary to popular belief, the transition to parenting is not directly related to increases in psychological distress. Changes in employment status, however, are. Women who significantly increase their labor force participation report lower levels of psychological distress over the study period, while women who significantly decrease their labor force participation report higher psychological distress. The effects of labor force changes on mental health are not all modified by parenting status or changes in parenting status. The transition to parenting and increased parenting responsibilities, however, are indirectly related to increased psychological distress insofar as they result in decreased labor force participation. The implications of these results are used to evaluate four competing perspectives on the relationship between roles, stress, and psychological functioning.