Mother’s mental health also declines during pandemic times – sparks issues of mental health epidemics during disease outbreaks

Mothers’ wellbeing and mental health A few mothers described enjoying lockdowns, this was particularly the case for those mothers with older children (not babies or toddlers), without stressful jobs, some financial security and family support (i.e., sharing of childcare and domestic labor with partners). However, the majority of the mothers in our sample experienced what Dean et al. (2022) refer to as the mental overload of emotional labor (i.e., worrying about children’s health and wellbeing; managing multiple roles and responsibilities within the home, wider families, work). Mirroring international research, the mothers in our study engaged in intensive forms of emotional labor through the daily management of their own and others’ emotions (i.e., children, partner, parents, friends, workmates), but the chronic nature of this mental overload was “exhausting, leading to increased anxiety, depression and poorer physical health” for many (Dean et al., 2022, p. 19). Across each of the groups (pregnant women, mothers with newborns, single and low-income mothers, and working mothers) some experienced severe mental health (i.e., depression) and “suicidal thoughts” (Narla) requiring medical treatment. For these women, the lack of access to social and medical support compounded their mental health issues: Over time, my mental health just went so low, to a point where I told my social worker. . . I need help because I am not in a good headspace right now. I want to get onto things now before it gets worse, before I hurt myself or my kids. (Mila) I was mentally unstable. COVID was the main trigger. I realized after that three-month lockdown, my anger toward the boys, I had been more snappy at them to a point where CYFs [Child, Youth and Family] had been called on me. I can’t enjoy the boys as much as I would love to, because right now it’s more like a burden. My therapist was going to send me to respite, that’s how bad I am with my mental health at the moment. . . but I said there is absolutely no way I can go to respite. . . because I won’t get my kids back again. (Narla) I think typically mums put everyone else before themselves, and it is a huge mental load. Just that building up of stress, not getting enough sleep, exhaustion. . . I was getting resentful of having to do everything. I had panic attacks. Depression. I needed help, but I couldn’t get hold of my psychotherapist. I turned up at [GP center], but they turned me away. They said, “We’re only seeing urgent patients.” I was getting to that point where I was having harmful thoughts. I ended up calling Helpline. I just wanted to sit in my wardrobe. (Beth) For many mothers in our study, the pandemic surfaced new affective relations with motherhood (i.e., anger, sadness, loss of enjoyment, resentment) that were contradictory to dominant discourses and social norms of ‘good motherhood’ (Schmidt et al., 2023). While Mila, Narla and Beth each had difficulty accessing mental health support, it was only the Maori-Pacific mother ¯ (Narla) whose difficulties led to surveillance by the State (CYFs), with the ever-present threat of having her children removed from her care. As Stanley and de Froideville (2020) explain, discursive and institutional arrangements, and political and policy priorities, toward families in Aotearoa have long emphasized racialized risk and vulnerability, thus “re-emphasis[ing] colonial practices of viewing Maori children and young people as deficit- ¯ laden risks to be managed”, thus rendering Maori families as ¯ “perilously entrenched in welfare and justice systems” (526). In this context, not only did Maori mothers find it more challenging to ¯ access mental health support, but previous experiences of racial discrimination within the health and social services negatively impacted their willingness to express vulnerabilities and seek help. Furthermore, our findings align with international research that has shown the heightened negative affect and mental distress among mothers during the pandemic was particularly heightened among those with babies, toddlers, and young children (Racine et al., 2021). Furthermore, the mothers in our sample without social and emotional support at home (and in their wider networks), and in economically difficult situations (i.e., single and low-income or welfare; income changes due to pandemic job loss in the family), described experiencing the most severe mental health impacts. The intersectional experiences of mothers on the margins must not be overlooked, particularly by those developing policies, practices, and support structures for families during periods of heightened stress, fear, and uncertainty.