Support from friends moderates the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and postnatal wellbeing during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Background

Increasing evidence has linked repetitive negative thinking (RNT) to postnatal depression and anxiety, yet the factors moderating this relationship have been minimally investigated. During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, social restrictions imposed to reduce viral transmission limited access to social support, which is critical to postnatal psychological wellbeing – potentially intensifying RNT.

Objective

We examined whether perceived social support (from friends, family, and a significant other) played a moderating role in the relationship between RNT and maternal postnatal anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Methods

A sample of women (N = 251) who had given birth in the preceding 12 months completed an online battery of standardised measures during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ of May 2020.

Results

As predicted, social support moderated the relationship between RNT and depression such that the association between RNT and depression was stronger for women who reported lower levels of social support. Interestingly, this finding emerged for social support from friends only; for support from family and significant other, social support did not play a moderating role. Further, and unexpectedly, overall social support did not moderate the relationship between RNT and postnatal anxiety, however, social support from friends was a significant moderator.

Conclusions

High levels of perceived social support from friends (but not family or significant others) buffered the effects of RNT on depression and anxiety during the postpartum period. Strategies to bolster peer social support may be a valuable inclusion in interventions to prevent and treat postnatal depression and anxiety.

KEYWORDS:

• Postnatal depression
• postnatal anxiety
• repetitive negative thinking
• social support

Consent to participate

Written consent was obtained from all participants for participation in this study.

Consent to publication

Participants all consented to their data being published in an aggregated, anonymised format.

Disclosure of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest

Ethic approval

The study received ethical approval from the Open University’s Human Research Ethics Committee.

Notes

1. We also simultaneously recruited pregnant women as part of a second antenatal study. For the purpose of brevity and clarity, we present findings for the post-natal study only in this paper. Findings for the prenatal study are reported elsewhere.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.