Abstract
Although evidence supports the role of social support in perinatal women's well-being, the dynamics of these relationships remain unclear. We examined changes in social support and social network from prenatal to postpartum periods from 168 perinatal women. Individual differences in emotional intelligence (EI) were examined as moderating these changes. Results suggest that functional social support increases in postpartum while social network decreases. EI significantly moderated change in functional social support from fathers such that functional social support from a woman's father was significantly higher in women with higher EI. Changes in social network were not significantly affected by EI.
Highlights
Evidence supports the role of social support in perinatal women's well-being, the dynamics of these relationships remain unclear
While much research has examined the relative importance of specific aspects of a woman’s social support and social network during postpartum, little research has examined how this major life event affects the effectiveness and structure of these resources, or the factors that may affect these adjustments in social resources during this time of major life change
This paper looks at change in functional social support and social network during a time of major life transition and how an individual difference central to the emotional processes underlying effective interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal coping may be related to social support change
Summary
Evidence supports the role of social support in perinatal women's well-being, the dynamics of these relationships remain unclear. While much research has examined the relative importance of specific aspects of a woman’s social support and social network during postpartum (i.e., the role of the new Mom’s mother), little research has examined how this major life event affects the effectiveness and structure of these resources, or the factors that may affect these adjustments in social resources during this time of major life change To address these gaps, this paper looks at change in functional social support and social network during a time of major life transition and how an individual difference central to the emotional processes underlying effective interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal coping may be related to social support change. It examines how emotional intelligence, a skill that has been positively associated with the quality of social relationships in previous research, may affect social support and social network changes following childbirth (Brackett, Warner, & Bosco, 2005)
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