A new study has revealed that many mothers constantly posting photos of themselves and their babies on Facebook could more often be depressed than those who keep away from the social media site.
The study, published this week in the journal Sex Roles, tells of Ohio State University researchers discovering that, the more occupied the mothers they studied were with “external validation” of their mothering skills, the likelier they were to frequently post on Facebook.
The research further explains that “mothers who were more prone to seek external validation for their mothering identity and perfectionistic about parenting experienced increases in depressive symptoms indirectly via greater Facebook activity.”
While the sample of women studied – 127 from the Midwestern United States – was very small and largely consisted of white and highly-educated individuals, the researchers concluded that Facebook appears to be associated with more serious parenting stress for new mothers.
