Rural-Urban Differences in the Life Satisfaction, Social Support, and Mental Health of Postnatal Women in Ireland

Mulligan, Brona (2023) Rural-Urban Differences in the Life Satisfaction, Social Support, and Mental Health of Postnatal Women in Ireland. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The postnatal period is often associated with an increased risk of poor psychological well-being. Rural and urban women face many different barriers during this period, yet there is little research examining the unique impact of these challenges. This study aimed to investigate rural-urban differences in the life satisfaction, social support, and mental health of postnatal women in Ireland. The current study employed a cross-sectional, between-groups design. It was hypothesized that (i) life satisfaction, (ii) social support, and (iii) mental health would be predicted by geographical location after controlling for possible confounding variables of age, socio-economic status (SES), and marital status. Eighty-nine mothers, from 15 counties in the Republic of Ireland participated in this study via an online questionnaire, which utilized validated scales to collect data on the predictor and criterion variables. Results of three hierarchical regression analyses found that there was no significant difference between rural and urban women’s psychological well-being after controlling for confounding variables. Maternal age and SES were found to significantly predict psychological well-being. This has implications within policy and practice; services and interventions centred around increasing postnatal well-being should be aware of these risk factors and aim to focus resources on young mothers and/or mothers with low SES.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Supervisors:	Name Email Hannigan, Caoimhe UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA790 Mental Health H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races > Rural Sociology H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races > Urban Sociology
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	01 Jun 2023 14:24
Last Modified:	01 Jun 2023 14:24
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/6711

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