Blogging relieves stress on new mothers by making them feel connected

• Survey found 61 per cent of mothers wrote their own blogs while 76 per cent read them
• Blogs gave parents a chance to showcase hobbies and accomplishments
  

By Claire Bates

PUBLISHED: 05:10 EST, 20 June 2012 | UPDATED: 06:59 EST, 20 June 2012

New mothers who struggle with loneliness and anxiety may want to consider writing a blog.

U.S researchers found joining an online blogging community helped to reduce stress and boost well-being among fledgling parents.

'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 study leader Brandon McDaniel, from Penn State University.

Connected: Blogs helped new mothers keep family and friends up to date

'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.'

Mr McDaniel and a team from Brigham Young University surveyed 157 new mothers about their media use and their well-being.

They were all first-time parents with only one child under the age of 18 months.

The researchers found blogging had a positive impact on new mothers, but were surprised to find social networking - such as using Facebook and MySpace - did not have any effect.

Mr McDaniel pointed out several potential benefits for new mothers who blog, including giving mother both a way to connect with family and friends who do not live nearby and an outlet to use and showcase their hobbies and accomplishments, particularly for stay-at-home mums.

Blogging is a way of helping new mothers feel they have support

'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.'

The researchers found mothers spent around three hours per day on the computer. Their online survey also revealed that 61 per cent of the mothers wrote their own blogs while 76 per cent 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 per cent wanted to stay in touch with family and friends through the blog.

McDaniel will now study why blogging has such a significant impact compared to social networking.

The study was published in the online version of Maternal and Child Health Journal.

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