Motherhood in the workplace: An examination of maternal mental health

According to new research from the University of Georgia, an organization's response to a mother's return to work can have a significant effect on her mental health. The majority of work-related factors that predict better mental health outcomes are under the control of organisations. This can include paid maternity leave, total workload, and flexibility in the workplace.

However, previous research examining maternal mental health in relation to employment grouped return to work with maternity leave, according to lead author Rachel McCardel, a doctoral student in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia.

"But return to work is more than that because, while maternity leave is an important resource, it does not necessarily capture the actual process of when leave ends, when you resume work, and when you begin combining your employee and mother roles," she said.

Understanding the impact of a mother's return to work on her mental health can aid in the development of solutions. It will identify areas where interventions or support could prevent or alleviate the burden of conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Motherhood in the workplace: An examination of maternal mental health (Illustrative image).

Motherhood and employment can conflict

The authors conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed articles published within the last two decades that investigated the mental health of working mothers in the United States. The studies included both cross-sectional and longitudinal research that was inconsistent and sometimes contradictory regarding whether return to work improved or harmed mental health.

McCardel noted that when all the studies were analysed together, a type of conflict emerged between balancing the responsibilities and demands associated with being an employee and those associated with being a parent, and meeting the needs of both roles.

They discovered that a greater conflict between the two roles led to poorer mental health outcomes.

Co-author Heather Padilla explained that in workplace research, "return to work" refers to individuals who have been injured or out of work for an extended period of time due to an illness and are returning to the workplace.

"There are return to work programmes and, in some cases, a very systematic process to assess an employee's capability and adjust their job responsibilities to help their transition back because the research shows that there's positive benefits to coming back to the workplace after an injury or an illness, but there's a balance," said Padilla, an associate professor in the College of Public Health.

"I don't know that we have those same conversations about return to work after you've had a baby even though we treat pregnancy very much as a disability and illness in the U.S. workplace."

The findings of this study reveal a number of strategies individuals can implement to promote their mental health upon reentering the workforce. Coworker support was cited as an essential resource for parents returning to the workforce. However, the organization's policies will ultimately have the greatest influence.

This review, according to McCardel, highlights why it is essential for workplaces to address maternal mental health proactively.

"It's about creating that structure to say you are not alone. To show that as an organisation, you care about your employees and value them. Let's have a structure in place where we can have those conversations and meet those needs," said McCardel. Emily Loedding, an additional doctoral student at the College of Public Health, joins McCardel and Padilla as a co-author.

Journal Reference: Rachel Elizabeth McCardel, Emily Hannah Loedding, Heather Marie Padilla. Examining the Relationship Between Return to Work After Giving Birth and Maternal Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2022; 26 (9): 1917 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-022-03489-0