How blogging can help new mothers beat stress

New mothers who read and write blogs are likely to be less stressed out, as they begin to feel more connected to their extended family and friends, says a new study. “It looks like blogging might be helping these women as they transition into motherhood because they may begin to feel more connected to their extended family and friends, which leads them to feel more supported,” said Brandon T. McDaniel, graduate student in human development and family studies, Penn State University. [caption id=“attachment_350368” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] “That potentially is going to spill out into other aspects of their well being, including their marital relationship with their partner, the ways that they’re feeling about their parenting stress, and eventually into their levels of depression,” McDaniel was quoted as saying in the Maternal and Child Health Journal. McDaniel and colleagues from Brigham Young University surveyed 157 new mothers about their media use and their well-being. The moms were all first-time parents with only one child under the age of 18 months – most much younger than this, according to a university statement. The researchers report that blogging had a positive impact on new mothers, but social networking – mainly Facebook and MySpace – did not seem to impact their well-being. “We’re not saying that those who end up feeling more supported all of a sudden no longer have stresses, they’re still going to have those stressful moments you have as a parent,” said McDaniel. “But because they’re feeling more supported, their thoughts and their feelings about that stress might change, and they begin to feel less stressed about those things.” Researchers found that 61 percent of the mothers surveyed wrote their own blogs and 76 percent read blogs. Eighty-nine percent of the mothers who wrote their own blogs did so to “document personal experiences or share them with others,” and 86 percent wanted to stay in touch with family and friends through the blog. Sarah M. Coyne and Erin K. Holmes, assistant professors, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, also worked on this research. IANS