Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-21-2025
Publication Title
SMM - Mental Health
Volume
8
First page number:
1
Last page number:
8
Abstract
This study examined associations between perceived social support, maternal mental health, and parenting practices among mothers with young children under aged 2 years in rural Western Kenya. Data were collected as part of the baseline evaluation of a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating a parenting intervention. Maternal perceived social support was reported using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and community connectedness with two study-developed items. Maternal depressive symptoms were measured using the CES-D, parenting distress with Parenting Stress Index–Short Form, and caregiver stimulation practices with Family Care Indicators. Multilevel linear regression models examined associations between social support and maternal mental health and parenting outcomes. The analytic sample included 539 mothers, of whom 49.4 % were aged 25–34 years, 36.4 % were at risk of depression, and 19.9 % reported high parenting stress. Higher perceived support was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (β = −0.14, p < .001), lower parenting stress (β = −0.24, p < .001), and greater stimulation practices (β = 0.08, p = .04). Family support was more strongly associated with mental health outcomes, while friend support was associated with stimulation. Community connectedness was associated with lower parenting stress but not with depressive symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of family support for maternal well-being and peer support for fostering stimulation practices among mothers with young children.
Controlled Subject
Kenya; Families--Psychological aspects; Women--Mental health
Disciplines
Multicultural Psychology | Social Psychology
File Format
File Size
561 KB
Language
English
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Repository Citation
de Oliveira, C. V.,
Freire, S.,
McCann, J. K.,
Ochieng, M.,
Jeong, J.
(2025).
Social Support and Its Associations With Mental Health and Parenting Among Mothers With Young Children in Western Kenya.
SMM - Mental Health, 8
1-8.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100551