Fatigue and Mindful Parenting in the Postpartum Period: The Role of Difficulties in Emotion Regulation and Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology

Objectives This study aimed to explore: (1) whether fatigue, difficulties in emotion regulation and mindful parenting differ based on maternal anxious and/or depressive symptomatology levels in the postpartum period; (2) whether difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the relationship between fatigue and mindful parenting; and (3) whether maternal symptomatology moderates these relationships. Methods A sample of 295 Portuguese mothers of infants aged up to 12 months completed self-report instruments assessing mindful parenting, fatigue, anxious and depressive symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation. Results Mothers with clinically significant symptomatology levels showed higher levels of fatigue, more difficulties in emotion regulation and lower levels of mindful parenting than mothers with normal levels of symptomatology. Higher levels of fatigue were directly associated with lower levels of mindful parenting but only in the group of mothers with low levels of symptomatology. In addition, higher levels of fatigue were indirectly associated with lower levels of mindful parenting through higher levels of difficulties in emotion regulation regardless of the mothers' symptomatology levels. Conclusions The results of this study highlight the need to reduce fatigue and anxious and/or depressive symptomatology, as well as foster adaptive emotion regulation among mothers in the postpartum period.