New Mothers Use Facebook MORE After Having A Baby

Women become compulsive Facebook followers after giving birth according to new research from Ohio State University.The study, led by Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, an associate professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University, tracked 154 new mothers, most of whom are white and highly educated, and found that 44 percent of moms said that their Facebook use increased after their big day,compared to 27 percent who said it decreased and 29 percent who said it stayed the same

For fathers, 31 percent said their Facebook use increased, while 19 percent said it decreased and 51 percent said it stayed the same.The results offer some initial clues as to how Facebook use may affect new parents’ adjustment to parenthood, according to the researchers.The findings suggest that, despite all the new demands faced by new parents, spending time on Facebook was worthwhile to them, said Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan.

Researchers also found that mothers who visited their Facebook accounts more often frequently reported higher levels of parenting stress.However, researchers noted that they could not tell from the available data whether more Facebook use caused stressed for mothers or if mothers with more stress spend more time on the social networking site."I think the most likely interpretation is that mothers who experience higher levels of stress are looking for social support on Facebook so they visit more often,"Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan said

The majority of mothers - 58% - visited their accounts at least once a day, compared to 44 percent of fathers.Nearly all women - 93% - said they had uploaded photos of their child to Facebook, while 83% of fathers said they did.The study, published in the July issue of the journal Family Relations, is the first to investigate new parents' use of Facebook during this stressful life event.

The study involved 154 mothers and 150 fathers, most of whom were white and highly educated. The data from this study came from questions asked nine months after the birth of their child.