[Stressors and Stress Responses of Unmarried Mothers Based on Betty Neuman's Systems Model: An Integrative Review]

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the structure of variables in studies related to unmarried mothers (UMs) based on Neuman's systems model, and the stressors and stress responses of UMs.

Methods: Whittemore and Knafl's methodology for integrative reviews was applied. The literature was searched using five electronic databases (KISS, KMbase, KoreaMed, NDSL, and RISS) and a total of 99 variables were collected from 15 studies published between 2009 and 2019.

Results: The main stressors for UMs were a sense of loss and burden caused by childbirth and childrearing. The main stress responses were parenting stress and depression, respectively. Within the basic structure of variables related to UMs, self-esteem played a crucial role by helping UMs adapt to their situation. Meanwhile, social support of UMs was significantly correlated with parenting stress, depression, and self-esteem.

Conclusion: In order to understand UMs' stress, is necessary to explore their sense of loss, burden, and self-esteem. Furthermore, it is important to assess the level of parenting stress and depression of UMs and to provide effective interventions to alleviate these stressors. The results of this study provide useful knowledge that can be applied to nursing assessment and interventions for stress management in UMs.

Keywords: Depression; Mothers; Self concept; Stress, psychological.

Figure 1.

Figure 1-A. Neuman's systems model (Neuman, 2011). Figure 1-B. Structure of the relationships among stress-related variables in unmarried mothers.

Figure 2.

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram of the screening process.