The Contribution of Personal and Community Resources to the Emotional Well-Being of Postpartum Women

Childbirth is one of the most significant events in a woman's life. It is often considered a life-changing event, with women experiencing a variety of – physiological and emotional, changes—as well as a shift in their levels of emotional well-being (Tailor, 2012; Segev, 2016; Duman & Kocak, 2013). Emotional well-being has been defined as a general sense of satisfaction with life (Myers & Diener, 1995), and is influenced by an individual's personal, social and community resources (Piccinelli & Wilkinson, 2000). Providing ample support to postpartum women is crucial, since it ensures the wellbeing of the mothers, the newborn and the rest of the family (Wadephul, Glover, & Jomeen, 2020).   

In recent decades, the number of studies examining the emotional state of women after childbirth has increased significantly, but there are limited studies dealing with the emotional well-being of women during this period. Rather, most existing studies focus on distress and symptoms of postpartum depression among childbearing women (Nelson, Kushle & Lyubomirsky, 2014; Dolan, Peasgood, & White, 2008). Well-being may depend to a great extent on how women cope with challenging situations, while adapting new skills and using external resources to cope with the new challenges they face. Observing mental well-being during this period in a woman's life, focuses not only on negative changes but also on positive changes (Wadephul, Glover, & Jomeen, 2020; Dodge et al., 2012). This study was based on the theory of Social Capital (Coleman, 1990), which assumes that relationships and a social network increase an individual's personal resources and lead to the strengthening of his or her emotional well-being. Thus, a woman's community resources after childbirth may be significant factors in increasing her emotional well-being, either directly or through her personal resources. 

This study aimed to examine the contribution of community resources (sense of community belonging and community involvement) and personal resources (parental self-efficacy and perfectionism) to postpartum women’s sense of emotional well-being. It was hypothesized that feelings of belonging to geographical, virtual and religious communities, community involvement, parental self-efficacy and Self-Oriented Perfectionism will be significantly associated with postpartum women’s emotional well-being. Furthermore, parental self-efficacy will be a mediating factor in the associations between community resources and emotional well-being. 

The study sample included 200 Israeli women aged 18 and above, in the six-month period following childbirth. The research method was quantitative, and the data were collected online, using self-completed questionnaires. The questionnaires assessed demographic data, emotional well-being, community involvement, sense of belonging to the community, parental self-efficacy, and self-directed perfectionism. The data analysis method used was linear hierarchical regression. The mediation hypotheses were also tested using the Lavaan function. 

The findings suggest that sense of belonging to a community (geographical, virtual and religious), community involvement and parental self-efficacy were positively associated with emotional well-being among postpartum women. Conversely, no association was found between Self-Oriented Perfectionism and emotional well-being. In addition, the emotional well-being of women who reported they were part of a religious community was significantly higher than the emotional well-being of women who reported they were not part of a religious community. An examination of mediating relationships revealed that parental self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between sense of belonging to a community (geographical, virtual and religious) and emotional well-being. However, it did not mediate the relationship between community involvement and emotional well-being. 

These findings illustrate the importance of a community in the life of women in the postpartum period. During this time women may experience extreme emotional changes that can lead to decreased emotional well-being, thereby endangering herself and her child (Duman & Kocak, 2013). Therefore, further researching communal factors that may be related to emotional well-being is important. The theoretical contribution of the study is in expanding the existing knowledge regarding the well-being of women after childbirth. The study provided a unique examination of the impact and contribution of community resources to the emotional well-being of postpartum women. Ideally, the study will act as a catalyst for scholarly discussion and further research in the area. In practical terms, the study will, hopefully, help shape community responses and interventions to address the emotional well-being of women in the postpartum period.