Loneliness among mothers raising children under the age of 3 years and predictors with special reference to the use of SNS: a community-based cross-sectional study

Maternal social isolation and behavioral problems in preschool children: the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study

It is essential to clarify factors associated with mental health and behavioral problems in early childhood, because children are critical stages of life for mental health. We aimed to prospectively examine the associations between maternal social isolation and behavioral problems in preschool children. We analyzed data from 5842 mother-child pairs who participated in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. The Lubben Social Network Scale-abbreviated version was used to assess social isolation (defined as scores < 12) one year after delivery. The Child Behavior Checklist 1½-5 was used to assess behavioral problems, and its subscales were used to assess internalizing and externalizing problems in children at 4 years of age. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between social isolation and behavioral problems, after adjustment for age, education, income, work status, marital status, extraversion, neuroticism, depressive symptoms, child sex, and number of siblings. Multiple logistic regression analyses were also conducted for internalizing problems and externalizing problems. The prevalence of maternal social isolation was 25.4%. Maternal social isolation was associated with an increased risk of behavioral problems in children: the odds ratio (OR) was 1.37 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.64). Maternal social isolation was also associated with increased risks of internalizing problems and externalizing problems in children: the ORs were 1.33 (95% CI, 1.12-1.59) and 1.40 (95% CI, 1.18-1.66), respectively. In conclusion, maternal social isolation one year after delivery was associated with behavioral problems in children at 4 years of age.

Association of perinatal factors with neurodevelopmental referrals in a population-based cohort study in Japan

Although the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders remain unknown, several environmental risk factors have attracted considerable attention. We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal, population-based cohort study using data from infant health examinations of children born to mothers with pregnancies between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2016 in Kobe City to identify the perinatal factors associated with neurodevelopmental referrals in 3-year-old children. There were 15,223 and 1283 children in the normal and referral groups, respectively. Neurodevelopmental referrals at the health checkup for 3-year-old children were significantly associated with the lack of social support during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.99, 99% CI 1.14-3.45, p = 0.001), history of psychiatric consultation (aOR 1.56, 99% CI 1.10-2.22, p = 0.001), no social assistance post-delivery (aOR 1.49, 99% CI 1.03-2.16, p = 0.006), Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 9 (aOR 1.36, 99% CI 1.01-1.84, p = 0.008), infant gender (male) (aOR 2.51, 99% CI 2.05-3.06, p < 0.001), and cesarean delivery (aOR 1.39, 99% CI 1.11-1.75, p < 0.001). In conclusion, this exploratory study in the general Japanese population identified six perinatal factors associated with neurodevelopmental referrals in 3-year-old children: infant gender (male), cesarean section, maternal history of psychiatric consultation, EPDS score ≥ 9, lack of social support during pregnancy, and no social assistance post-delivery.

Associating Parental Efficacy with the Utility of Smart Devices: A Cross-Sectional Study of Their Role in Alleviating Maternal Parenting Concerns among Infants Aged 6-11 Months

In digital societies, the use of smart devices to solve childcare problems has become commonplace. Mothers are influenced both positively and negatively by smart devices used to resolve childcare concerns. Focusing on parental self-efficacy, this study identified the factors associated with relief and anxiety caused by the use of smart devices to eliminate parenting concerns among mothers with infants. A random sampling cross-sectional survey was administered to 257 Japanese mothers with infants aged 6-11 months. Structural equation modeling was used to explain the relief and anxiety caused by their use of smart devices in terms of maternal demographics, parental self-efficacy, smart-device dependence, and confidence in their ability to discriminate information. Mothers with high parental self-efficacy experienced increased relief and reduced anxiety by using smart devices to address concerns about child-rearing practices. Mothers who were highly dependent on smart devices felt more secure with their use of smart devices. Homemakers and highly educated mothers who used smart devices because of concerns regarding child health and development experienced more anxiety. Parenting professionals need to recognize the effectiveness of smart devices as a tool to relieve anxiety in parenting and provide additional support for parents to improve their parenting self-efficacy.

Social Networking Services as a Tool for Support of Mothers: A Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Difficulties experienced by mothers in raising their children can be resolved using social networking services (SNSs). Being aware of issues associated with SNSs in such situations may be useful for supporting mothers. We herein review the issues associated with using SNSs to support mothers.

METHODS

This review was conducted using an electronic search engine to search for articles that described issues associated with using SNSs to support mothers, and which were published up to August 2022.

RESULTS

After screening, a total of 19 articles were included. We thematically categorized the contents into three major issues associated with using SNSs for support of mothers: (1) issues on the management side, (2) issues on the user side, and (3) social and environmental issues. The mainly discussed issues were the safety of using SNSs and/or securing and training human resources on the management side, busyness of mothers on the user side, as well as sociocultural and communication environment-related limitations as social and environmental issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The issues we detected would aid in developing the use of SNSs as a tool to support mothers. Further research on these issues is needed.

Loneliness in pregnant and postpartum people and parents of children aged 5 years or younger: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Despite evidence that loneliness increases during times of transition, and that the incidence of loneliness is highest in young adults, loneliness during pregnancy and new parenthood has not been developed as a program of research. Because loneliness research has primarily focused on older adults and other high-risk populations, the concept of loneliness and its effects on this population are not well understood, leaving a gap in our understanding of the psychosocial needs and health risks of loneliness on pregnant people and new parents. A scoping review has been completed in order to map and synthesize the literature on loneliness experienced during pregnancy and the first 5 years of parenthood prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

To address the aim of this review, a wide net was cast in order to detect experiences of perinatal or parental loneliness and/or instances where loneliness was measured in this population. Among the inclusion criteria were loneliness in people who were pregnant, who were parents in the postpartum period, or who had children aged 5 years or younger. A search for literature was conducted in December 2020 using nine databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Elsevier), SCOPUS (Elsevier), Cochrane Library including CENTRAL (Wiley), CINAHL (Ebscohost), PsycINFO (Ebscohost), Dissertations & Theses Global (ProQuest) and Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), and the Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate).

RESULTS

Perinatal and parental loneliness studies are limited and have rarely been targeted and developed through a program of research. Loneliness inquiry in this population was frequently studied in relation to other concepts of interest (e.g., postpartum depression). Alternatively, the importance of loneliness emerged from study participants as relevant to the research topic during qualitative inquiry. Across studies, the prevalence of loneliness ranged from 32 to 100%. Loneliness was commonly experienced alongside parenting difficulties, with parents feeling as though they were alone in their struggles.

CONCLUSIONS

As loneliness has been called a sensitive indicator of mental wellbeing, we believe screening will help healthcare professionals identify common difficulties and early signs of depression experienced during pregnancy and parenthood.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

The protocol is available on Open Science Framework at DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/BFVPZ.

Relationship between Mother’s emotional intelligence, negative parenting behaviour, Preschooler’s attachment instability, and smart device overdependence

Background

As smart device overdependence among preschoolers could adversely affect their overall development, it is essential to understand the related factors of such overdependence. Mothers have a large influence on preschoolers; however,, the relationship between mothers’ emotional intelligence, negative parenting behaviour, preschoolers’ attachment instability, and smart device overdependence remain unclear. This study aims to develop and test a structural model to explain smart device overdependence among preschoolers.

Methods

The study collects and analyses data from January to May 2021 from 283 mothers raising children aged 3–6 years in South Korea. Questionnaires regarding mothers’ emotional intelligence and negative parenting behaviour, as well as preschoolers’ attachment instability and smart device overdependence, were used to collect data. The data were analysed by SPSS23.0 and AMOS 23.0 software and a structural equation model was constructed; p ≤ 0.05 was taken as significant.

Results

Mothers’ emotional intelligence had a direct negative relationship with mothers’ negative parenting behaviour (β = − 0.44) and an indirect negative relationship with preschoolers’ attachment instability (β = − 0.25) and preschoolers’ smart device overdependence (β = − 0.24). Mothers’ negative parenting behaviour had a direct positive relationship with preschoolers’ attachment instability (β = 0.56) and both direct and indirect positive relationships with preschoolers’ smart device overdependence (β = 0.55). Preschoolers’ attachment instability had a direct positive relationship with preschoolers’s smart device overdependence (β = 0.46).

Conclusions

Mothers’ emotional intelligence, negative parenting behaviour, and preschoolers’ attachment instability are associated with preschoolers’ vulnerability to smart device overdependence. These results are shown that more attention is needed to these variables in order to reduce preschoolers’ overdependence on smart devices. Additionally, we propose to develop and provide interventions based on these results.

Association between Mothers’ Attachment Styles and Parenting Stress among Japanese Mothers with Toddlers

Parenting stress is affected by various factors, including maternal attachment; however, the number of studies focusing on Japanese samples is limited. As such, we explored the association between mothers’ attachment styles and parenting stress among Japanese mothers with 18-month-old toddlers. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Sasebo City, Japan between 2018 and 2019. Anonymous self-reported questionnaires were distributed to 1399 mothers who attended an infant health check-up. We categorized maternal attachment style as secure, anxious/ambivalent, or avoidant, and conducted a multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate the associations between each attachment style and parenting stress. Of the 1399 mothers, 529 responded to the survey (37.8%). About 40% reported experienced parenting stress. Further, approximately two-thirds showed a secure attachment style, 20% had an anxious/ambivalent style, and 15% had an avoidant style. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the ambivalently attached mothers had a significantly higher level of parenting stress than those with secure attachment (odds ratio = 2.4, 95% confidence interval (1.5, 3.9)), but avoidantly attached mothers did not have a significantly higher level of parenting stress than those with secure attachment (odds ratio = 0.9, 95% confidence interval (0.5, 1.6)). The findings demonstrate that an anxious/ambivalent attachment style is associated with a higher level of parenting stress than a secure style. Thus, it is important for experts to understand the mother’s attachment style when offering childrearing support.

Development of information dissemination methods that contribute to improving maternal and child healthcare using social networking sites: a community-based cross-sectional study in Japan

BACKGROUND

In recent years, feelings of isolation among mothers caring for small children has become a significant social issue in Japan. The purpose of this study is to develop a message to alleviate their loneliness, to evaluate the impact of social networking sites (SNS) for delivering such messages, and to propose means of more effective information transmission to promote health for mothers raising small children.

METHODS

Our study was conducted in two stages, first an interview and then a cross-sectional study of the mothers involving a questionnaire survey. The interview was targeted two public-health nurses caring for mothers. Based on these interviews, we developed six messages intended to alleviate the mothers' sense of loneliness, which were vetted by seven mothers. The second stage was to conduct a questionnaire survey of mothers both before and after our selected message as advertisement on Instagram and analyzed the effect. The surveys were collected during routine child health check-ups in the City of Takatsuki, Japan.

RESULTS

From the six draft messages created based on interviews with public health nurses, we selected the message that most relieves the feeling of loneliness of the mothers who are raising small children. The survey questionnaire was taken by 494 mothers prior to our posting of Instagram advertisements (ads), and afterwards by 419 mothers. The percentage of mothers feeling loneliness tended to decrease after reading the messages (before ads.:8.1%, after ads.:5.8%). 8.6% of the mothers (36/419) remembered seeing the Instagram ads. Mothers with financial anxiety were significantly more likely to have remembered seeing the Instagram ads (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that usefulness of SNS messaging for mothers raising small children may reduce their feeling of loneliness. Among the SNS, disseminating child-rearing information on Instagram may be more effective for people with financial instability.

Mothers with depressed mood: help-seeking from husbands and child-rearing behaviors

BACKGROUND

Mothers with depressed mood tend not to seek help or support from others. Yet, there is no research providing a detailed examination of the processes that mothers with depressed mood undergo while seeking child-rearing support from their husbands. This study aimed to clarify the processes that mothers with depressed mood go through in seeking child-rearing support from their husbands and performing child-rearing duties.

METHODS

The participants were 10 mothers living in Japan who had given birth within the past three years and were suspected of having depression after screening using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Semi-structured interview data were analyzed based on the grounded theory.

RESULTS

The responses revealed that the mothers felt as though they had insufficient time for themselves, which impelled them to seek support from their husbands, consequently leading them to conclude either that child-rearing and housework are difficult or that child-rearing can be managed some way or another.

CONCLUSION

When the husbands fully cooperated in child-rearing or demonstrated their willingness to cooperate in child-rearing, despite difficulty, the wives accepted their child-rearing support. On the other hand, if the husbands did not recognize their wives' efforts, the wives did not accept their support, even if they had helped with child-rearing. In this way, the wives re-evaluated their relationship with the husbands based on their husbands' attitudes toward child-rearing.

Commentary: The real (?) effect of smartphone use on parenting - a commentary on Modecki et al. (2020)

A recent publication by Modecki and colleagues asserts that 'more [smart]phone use was associated with higher parenting quality'. Modecki and colleagues make their generalistic concluding statement in contradiction to an increasingly conflicting research corpus, and we suggest that a more cautious interpretation of their data would be beneficial. This study used a cross-sectional convenience sample; however elsewhere, research questions the ability of participants to accurately estimate their own smartphone use. Further, one-sided reports of two-sided attachment relationships may be unreliable. A useful addition to the paper would have been the inclusion and stratification of demographic information about the children whose parents were surveyed. With Modecki and colleagues seeking to describe the 'real effect' of smartphones on parenting, the age, stage and needs of the children studied remained largely silent. Modecki and colleagues wisely encourage us to ask more nuanced questions in our research. We wholly agree, but also urge researchers to be more nuanced in our research designs and understanding of its implications for all within the parent:child relationship.

A questionnaire survey on a feeling of loneliness of the mothers raising children

AIM

A feeling of isolation childcare mothers' face is a serious social problem in Japan because the relationships with mothers and local communities have grown sparser. The purpose of this study was to clarify the feelings of isolation of mothers during childcare and the factors related to it.

METHODS

We conducted a questionnaire survey in Yao City, Osaka. We mailed out a questionnaire survey of 1293 mothers with infants who had either a 4-month or 42-month routine health checkup during the period from September to December of 2018.

RESULTS

There was no association between "feeling lonely while raising my child" and the absence of "people who helped raise my children." On the other hand, it was found that the mothers' inner feelings, such as "I wasn't satisfied with my childcare environment" (OR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.32-4.91, p = 0.0052) or "I lacked confidence in my own childcare abilities" (OR: 6.21, 95% CI: 4.31-8.95, p < 0.0001), were associated with their sense of loneliness.

CONCLUSIONS

Mothers' "sense of loneliness" was shown to be best correlated with their dissatisfaction with the environment of their childcare and with their lack of confidence in raising their own children.

Experiencing loneliness in parenthood: a scoping review

AIMS

Chronic loneliness is experienced by around a third of parents, but there is no comprehensive review into how, why and which parents experience loneliness. This scoping review aimed to provide insight into what is already known about parental loneliness and give directions for further applied and methodological research.

METHODS

Searches for peer-reviewed articles were undertaken in six databases: PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus, during May 2019 to February 2020. We searched for English studies which examined loneliness experienced during parenthood, including studies that involved parents with children under 16 years and living at home and excluding studies on pregnancy, childbirth or postbirth hospital care.

RESULTS

From 2566 studies retrieved, 133 were included for analysis. Most studies (n = 80) examined the experience of loneliness in specific groups of parents, for example, teenage parents, parents of a disabled child. Other studies examined theoretical issues (n = 6) or health and wellbeing impacts on parents (n = 16) and their offspring (n = 17). There were 14 intervention studies with parents that measured loneliness as an outcome. Insights indicate that parental loneliness may be different to loneliness experienced in other cohorts. There is evidence that parental loneliness has direct and intergenerational impacts on parent and child mental health. Some parents (e.g. with children with chronic illness or disability, immigrant or ethnic minority parents) also appear to be at increased risk of loneliness although evidence is not conclusive.

CONCLUSION

This work has identified key gaps with further international, comparative and conceptual research needed.

Individual, family, and community factors related to loneliness in mothers raising children less than 3 years of age: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Loneliness in mothers raising children under 3 years of age is a major challenge. The purpose of this study was to identify the individual, family, and community factors associated with loneliness among mothers raising children under 3 years of age with social isolation as a mediator.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted using anonymous self-administered questionnaires. The target population was all 649 mothers of children under 3 years of age visiting a public health center in Yokohama City and eligible for child health examinations between November 2019 and February 2020. The study measures included loneliness (10-item version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale), social isolation (Lubben Social Network Scale [LSNS-6]), demographic data, individual factors, family factors, and community factors from an ecological systems model. Social isolation was classified based on the LSNS-6 cutoff points. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between loneliness and individual, family, and community factors with social isolation as a mediator.

RESULTS

A total of 531 participants (81.8% response rate) responded, and 492 (75.8% valid response rate) were included in the analysis. Loneliness was significantly higher in the isolated group (n = 171, 34.8%) than in the non-isolated group (n = 321, 65.2%) (mean = 22.3, SD = 5.6 and mean = 17.6, SD = 4.6, respectively). Factors associated with high loneliness included individual and family factors (a high number of parenting and life concerns [β = 0.211, p < 0.01], not eating breakfast every day [β = 0.087, p < 0.05], and fewer partners' supportive behaviors for household duties and childcare [β =  - 0.240, p < 0.001]) and community factors (fewer people to consult about parenting [β =  - 0.104, p < 0.01] and low community commitment [β =  - 0.122, p < 0.05]) with social isolation as a mediator.

CONCLUSION

Referral to a counseling organization to alleviate worries about parenting and the creation of a child-rearing environment to enhance the recognition of the community may be considered. These findings could help develop intervention programs for the prevention or alleviation of loneliness experienced by mothers and prevent the associated health risks among mothers and child outcomes.

Association Between Loneliness and the Frequency of Using Online Peer Support Groups Among Cancer Patients With Minor Children: A Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study

CONTEXT

Cancer patients with minor children are increasing; however, they do not receive sufficient support.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the association between loneliness and the frequency of using online peer support groups among cancer patients with minor children.

METHODS

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from April to May 2019. Cancer patients with minor children were recruited from an online peer support group called "Cancer Parents." Individuals diagnosed with cancer and whose youngest children were younger than 18 years were enrolled. Materials included: the UCLA Loneliness Scale version 3 (UCLA-LS), K6 scale, abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale, and the sociodemographic/clinical characteristics questionnaire. Multivariate logistics regression analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with the high loneliness group (defined as those above the median score on the UCLA-LS).

RESULTS

A total of 334 patients participated (79.9% female; mean age 43.1 years, standard deviation 5.8). The most common primary cancer type was breast (34.1%). The median score of the UCLA-LS was 45 (interquartile range 37-53). The multivariate logistics regression analysis revealed that the high loneliness group was significantly associated with the frequent use of online peer support group less than once a week (odds ratio [OR] = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.26-0.85; P = 0.012), with a smaller social network (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.73-0.83; P < 0.001), and higher psychological distress (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.09-1.23; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Frequent use of online peer support groups was associated with less loneliness among cancer patients with minor children.

Incidence of and improvement in inappropriate parental behaviors of mothers with young children: a retrospective cohort study conducted in collaboration with a local government

Background

Inappropriate parental behaviors of mothers toward young children require further study; few epidemiological studies have utilized longitudinal analysis of region-based cohorts. This study examined the frequency of incidence of and improvements in inappropriate parental behaviors of mothers with young children and related factors.

Methods

Among the mothers who underwent a checkup in Fukushima City in 2017, 586 mothers with data from 4-, 18-, and 42-month-old checkups were included in analysis. In this retrospective cohort study, an anonymous database was created by transcribing and matching health checkup records with questionnaires stored at the city health center. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis, using the SPSS Ver.20.0.

Results

In 28.5% of mothers, inappropriate parental behaviors were not reported in the 18-month-old data but were reported in the 42-month-old data. In 3.8%, inappropriate parental behaviors were reported in the 18-month-old data but were not reported in the 42-month-old data. The most common inappropriate parental behavior reported was “yelling at the child using emotional words” (18-month-old data, 16.2%; 42-month-old data, 39.5%). Mothers with financial difficulties were 2.19 times (95%CI: 1.13–4.26) more likely to begin inappropriate parental behaviors between 18 and 42 months. Improvements in parental behaviors were significantly higher in mothers under 30 years old (p = 0.03).

Conclusions

It is necessary to identify mothers with financial difficulties early and to examine how to provide childcare and financial support from a local government at the time of child health checkup.

The maternal health-related issues that matter most to women in Ireland as they transition to motherhood - A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Many studies on women's maternity care experiences reveal recurring issues that are poor or less than optimal. Women's opinions on the maternal health-related issues that matter most to them are essential if care and services are to be improved.

AIMS

To identify the maternal health-related issues that matter most to women in Ireland, based on their own experiences of maternity care, services and motherhood.

METHODS

A qualitative exploratory study with 24 women. Following university ethical approval, audio-recorded one-to-one telephone interviews were conducted and thematically analysed.

FINDINGS

We identified two themes, each with four subthemes, connected to a central concept of the invisible woman. Pendulum of care, and subthemes Inconsistent services, All about the baby, Induced anxiety and Information seesaw, illustrated the extremes of care and services that women experienced. Magnitude of motherhood, and subthemes Weight of responsibility, Real-time reassurance, Change of identity and Growth into advocacy, depicted the intensity of their new role while transitioning to motherhood.

DISCUSSION

Findings articulate the issues that mattered most to women in Ireland as they transitioned to motherhood. Some women identified specific research topics/areas, but all of the issues identified can be translated into researchable topics that seek to improve local care and service provision.

CONCLUSION

Given the recurring nature of women's less than satisfactory experiences of aspects of maternity care in many countries, it is likely that conducting research on issues that matters most to women will have the greatest impact on their health, wellbeing and lives as they transition to motherhood.

Online Peer Support and Well-being of Mothers and Children: Systematic Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Online peer support groups are common and can be an effective tool for mothers with young children. The purpose of this review is to examine the types of support that online-based peer groups establish as well as its health effects to mothers and their children.

METHODS

Systematic scoping review. Systematic review of existing literature was conducted using Pubmed, Cinahl, Medline, Cochrane and Ichushi (Japanese language) database in December 2019.

RESULTS

Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, total of 1,475 articles were extracted by initial search. After the review of titles, abstracts and full texts, total of 21 articles met the inclusion criteria. The types of support mothers received were mainly informational and emotional support. Mothers also felt a sense of connection and community. Some health effects of online-based peer support group were seen in the area of mothers' mental well-being. Minimal effects were seen in behavioral modification for child nutrition and breastfeeding.

CONCLUSION

Due to the limited evidence in interventional studies, the effects of online-based peer support groups were inconclusive. Further studies with rigorous research designs would be helpful in future research.

Loneliness in pregnant and postpartum people and parents of children aged 5 years or younger: a scoping review protocol

BACKGROUND

The experience of loneliness during pregnancy and in new parenthood has not been targeted and developed as a program of research, despite evidence indicating that the incidence of loneliness is highest in those aged 16 to 24 and that loneliness rises during transitional periods. The scarcity of parenthood-loneliness inquiries leaves a gap in our understanding of new parenthood and its effects on the health and well-being of parents and their children. Here, a scoping review protocol will be presented to address this gap. The objective of this study will be to summarize the current knowledge of loneliness experienced during pregnancy and by parents during the postpartum period through the first 5 years of the child's life.

METHODS

A scoping review protocol was designed following Arksey and O'Malley's framework. We will include all types of literature in English, including all study designs, reviews, opinion articles, dissertations, reports, books, and grey literature. To be considered for inclusion, sources should focus on loneliness in pregnant persons, postpartum people, and parents of children 5 years or younger. We will search the following electronic databases (from inception onwards): MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Dissertations & Theses Global, Sociological Abstracts, Scopus, and Web of Science. Grey literature will be identified searching the British governmental website gov.uk, the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, the Campaign to End Loneliness, and the British Red Cross's Action on Loneliness websites. Two reviewers, working independently of each other, will screen the titles and abstracts of the articles returned by the searches, then screen the selected full-text articles, and extract data. A third reviewer will cast the deciding vote in case no consensus is reached. Results will be given in the narrative form, mapped, and illustrated.

DISCUSSION

This scoping review will capture the state of the current literature on loneliness in pregnancy and new parenthood. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. We anticipate that the study will identify gaps and make recommendations for future areas of study and related interventions. The protocol is available on Open Science Framework at DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/BFVPZ.

Reliability and validity of Japanese versions of the UCLA loneliness scale version 3 for use among mothers with infants and toddlers: a cross-sectional study

Background

Mothers with infants and toddlers are a potential target population for the prevention or alleviation of feelings of loneliness. However, the theory and methods for measuring loneliness among mothers with infants and toddlers have yet to be standardized worldwide, including in Japan. Our goal was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 (UCLA-LS3-J), as well as two short-form versions—the 10-item UCLA-LS3 (SF-10) and the 3-item UCLA-LS3 (SF-3)—for the measurement of loneliness in mothers with infants and toddlers in Japan.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire. The target population was 430 mothers with infants and toddlers who visited a community health center in Yokohama City in Japan. Questionnaire items encompassed the UCLA-LS3-J, as well as demographic data, the feeling for childrearing scale, and measures of social networks and subjective health status. The reliability and validity of the UCLA-LS3-J and its two short-form versions (SF-3 and SF-10) were determined via IBM SPSS Amos and SPSS Statistics 22.

Results

Questionnaires were returned by 248 mothers (valid response rate: 57.7%) aged 32.7 ± 4.6 (mean ± SD) years. The mean score on the UCLA-LS3-J was 38.4 ± 9.7 (range 20.0–73.0), with a normal distribution. When confirmatory factor analysis was carried out (for a single factor model), the goodness of fit of the model was almost identical to that of the original UCLA-LS3 version for the UCLA-LS3-J: (GFI = 0.882, AGFI = 0.840, CFI = 0.932, RMSEA = 0.066) and SF-10: (GFI = 0.942, AGFI = 0.900, CFI = 0.956, RMSEA = 0.081). The SF-3 model also showed an acceptable fit. The UCLA-LS3-J total score was significantly correlated with the total score on the SF-10 (r = 0.965) and SF-3 (r = 0.868). The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the UCLA-LS3-J was 0.926, while those of the SF-10 and SF-3 were 0.888 and 0.790, respectively. The score on the UCLA-LS3-J was positively correlated with childcare burden (r = .319, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with social networks (r = −.438, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

This study indicated that the reliability and validity of the UCLA-LS3-J as well as its two short-form versions were adequate for assessing loneliness in mothers with infants and toddlers in Japan.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-019-0792-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.