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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Looking Beyond Stigma and Depression: an Examination of Psychological Wellbeing in Young Mothers
Journal of Happiness Studies, Vol.27(1), pp.1-23
2026
Abstract
Research into the psychological experiences of young mothers often focuses on negative experiences of stigma and depression. This study applied a strengths-based approach and explored resilience and flourishing in young mothers, in addition to measures of distress. Participants were 83 Australian women who gave birth to their first child while aged between 14 and 23 years of age. They completed an online set of questionnaires measuring socio-demographic factors, positive wellbeing, and indicators of distress. Self-esteem, flourishing, and resilience were important predictors in regressions. A cluster analysis was used to identify sub-groups of mothers, with three groups emerging: a well-functioning group (41%), a distressed group (30%), and also a mixed group with limited distress and some flourishing (30%). These groups differed on socio-demographic factors. These findings suggest that not all young mothers are struggling, with a significant proportion displaying high levels of positive wellbeing. Recognition of these strengths is likely to result in beneficial outcomes for both mothers and babies. Our findings should be viewed within the limitations of stigma and depression measures used and the engaged nature of the sample.
Details
- Title
- Looking Beyond Stigma and Depression: an Examination of Psychological Wellbeing in Young Mothers
- Authors
- Kate E. Mulgrew (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyAngela Hinz - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyBreanna Solomon - A Brave LifeMelissa Redsell - A Brave LifeLynette O’Connor - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health
- Publication details
- Journal of Happiness Studies, Vol.27(1), pp.1-23
- Publisher
- Springer Dordrecht
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10902-025-01002-2
- ISSN
- 1573-7780; 1389-4978
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- The data from this study are not publicly available as this was not covered in the ethics application but reasonable requests for access may be directed to the first author for consideration.
- Grants
- Applying a strengths-based approach to help young mums to life a brave life., 0980027796, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
- Organisation Unit
- Graduate Research School; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991199328402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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