Factors associated with social support in child-rearing among mothers in post-disaster communities

Abstract

BackgroundNatural disasters have long-term negative impacts on the health and socioenvironmental conditions of a population, affecting the physical environment as well as the relationships within the community, including social networks. Mothers in post-disaster communities may have difficulty receiving social support not only from family members and relatives but also from members of their community, such as people in their neighborhoods. This study focused on mothers with infants and preschool-aged children in post-disaster communities. The associations of social support with sociodemographic characteristics and socioenvironmental conditions related to child-rearing among mothers in post-disaster communities were assessed.MethodsAn anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in October 2015 in 988 households in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The data collected on sociodemographic and socioenvironmental characteristics included the presence of pre-disaster acquaintances in the neighborhood and social support for child-rearing. The associations of sociodemographic and socioenvironmental characteristics with social support were examined.ResultsWe analyzed 215 completed questionnaires from mothers living in different houses from those they lived in before the disaster to reflect continuous relationships with people from the pre-disaster communities. Social support was significantly associated with infant sex, extended family, support obtained from relatives not living together, pre-disaster acquaintances, use of child support resources, and no perceived difficulties in child-rearing. In addition, the presence of pre-disaster acquaintances was associated with categories of mental/physical place of comfort and child-rearing support, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.88 (95% CI 1.03–3.44) and 2.84 (95% CI 1.46–5.52) compared with mothers who did not have any pre-disaster acquaintances.ConclusionsFactors associated with the obtainment of social support in child-rearing among mothers in post-disaster communities were attributed not only to mothers themselves and family members but also to socioenvironmental factors such as the presence of pre-disaster acquaintances. The presence of pre-disaster acquaintances promoted rich social support in child-rearing in post-disaster communities. When reconstructing a community following changes in residence location after a disaster, the pre-disaster relationships among the community dwellers should be considered from the viewpoint of child-rearing support.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12199-018-0747-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Breastfeeding and Humanitarian Emergencies: the Experiences of Pregnant and Lactating Women During the Earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy

“…In addition to the physical environment, natural disasters deeply impact on relationships (34). Our study shows the strong need to protect meaningful relationships and social networks (partner, relatives, friends, neighborhood, and community).…”

“…Our study shows the strong need to protect meaningful relationships and social networks (partner, relatives, friends, neighborhood, and community). Social support plays a key role in traumatic and emergency situation to promote the well-being, quality of life, and resilience of the affected population (28, [34][35][36] and are considered a potential resource for relieving depression in pregnant women (37). Over the L'Aquila earthquake experience, family was an extremely important support system for emergency and postemergency everyday life, and women clearly expressed the need to be close to their partners.…”

The experiences of pregnant and lactating women during the earthquake emergency in Abruzzo: ten years later, what have we learned?

“…In addition to the physical environment, natural disasters deeply impact on relationships (33). Our study shows the strong need to protect meaningful relationships and social networks (partner, relatives, friends, neighborhood, and community).…”

“…At the time of the earthquake, the women's mean age was 33.6 years (28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46). Four women were primigravidae, one was secundigravidae and one tertigravidae.…”

“…Our study shows the strong need to protect meaningful relationships and social networks (partner, relatives, friends, neighborhood, and community). The social support plays a key role in traumatic and emergency situation to promote the well-being, quality of life, and resilience of the affected population (27,(33)(34)(35) and are considered a potential resource for relieving depression in pregnant women (36). Over the L'Aquila earthquake experience, family was an extremely important support system for emergency and postemergency everyday life, and women clearly expressed the need to be close to their partners.…”