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. 2023 Jul;51(6):2408-2429.
doi: 10.1002/jcop.22829. Epub 2022 Mar 30.

Weathering the storm alone or together: Examining the impact of COVID-19 on sole and partnered working mothers

Angela M Dionisi  1 , Chelsie J Smith  1 , Kathryne E Dupré  2
Affiliations

Weathering the storm alone or together: Examining the impact of COVID-19 on sole and partnered working mothers

Angela M Dionisi et al. J Community Psychol. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Sole employed mothers and their families face numerous challenges. Yet, the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic may be adding additional risk to the already precarious day-to-day reality of this population. Thus, we examine the implications of this crisis for the mental health and job-related well-being of both sole and partnered working mothers. Participants were 206 mothers who continued to work during the pandemic. A moderated mediation model was analyzed. Work-family conflict (WFC) during the pandemic differentially related to mothers' parenting stress, based on romantic partnership status; when mothers were sole parents, the relationship between WFC and parenting stress was exacerbated. Moreover, this stress mediated the relationship between WFC and both poor mental health and decreased work engagement for sole employed mothers. Findings broaden our understanding of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for sole and partnered employed mothers, and how this crisis may be increasing disparities between working sole-parent and dual-partner families.

Keywords: maternal behavior; parenting; single parent; work engagement; work-related stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The hypothesized model
Figure 2
Figure 2
The moderating effect of working mothers’ partnership status on the relationship between work‐family conflict and parenting stress
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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