Maternal ambivalence and mothers’ mental health

Maternal ambivalence, the mother’s contradictory emotional responses towards her child and the maternal role, is a common yet often hidden aspect of motherhood. Its lack of recognition is partly produced by dominant sociocultural representations of motherhood that promote impossible ideals, expecting mothers to be unconditionally loving and nurturing. These prevailing images not only deny and pathologise mothers’ ambivalent feelings but also intensify the anxiety, guilt and shame associated with them. As a result, maternal ambivalence can present significant emotional and psychological challenges for mothers. Yet, research investigating maternal ambivalence is limited. This thesis aims to develop and validate a psychological measure of maternal ambivalence, establishing a foundation for its theoretical and empirical examination. Furthermore, it aims to explore mothers’ experiences of maternal ambivalence and its implications for psychological functioning; while also investigating potential factors and pathways through which maternal ambivalence may impact mothers’ mental health. A mixed-method approach was employed to achieve these aims. Qualitative findings suggest that ambivalent feelings challenge women’s expectations of motherhood, provoking self-doubt and self-criticism, with significant emotional and psychological costs. In contrast, self-compassion alleviates emotional distress, helping mothers reconcile conflicting emotions and promoting overall wellbeing. The findings from the development of the Maternal Ambivalence Questionnaire, assessing manageable–unmanageable maternal ambivalence, provide initial evidence of its reliability and validity. The survey-based study exploring the relationship between maternal ambivalence and mothers’ mental health—symptoms of depression and anxiety—offers the first empirical evidence on the role of “good mother” ideals, shame and self-compassion in this relationship. Overall, this thesis deepens the understanding of how psychological and social factors impact women’s responses to and consequences of maternal ambivalence, with valuable insights for improving maternal mental health. It also provides the first validated measure for assessing maternal ambivalence, allowing for future in-depth investigation of this construct.