•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Despite extensive scholarship on maternal well-being, the concept remains theoretically underdeveloped and lacks a coherent interdisciplinary definition. This study uses Walker and Avant’s (2019) concept analysis framework to clarify maternal well-being as a feminist, role-anchored construct. We conducted a systematic review of literature in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from 2005 to 2025, focusing on studies of married mothers who had given birth to and were raising at least one child. Through content analysis, we identified three defining attributes: (1) vitality and positive affect; (2) life satisfaction and meaning grounded in autonomy and competence within the maternal role; and (3) eudaimonic functioning expressed through purpose, mastery, and supportive relationships. Antecedents appear at individual, relational, and structural levels, including birth experiences, division of unpaid care and mental load, sleep continuity, partner support, childcare access, and labour and welfare policies. Outcomes follow adaptive and maladaptive trajectories that shape bonding, parental self-efficacy, and stress. We propose a multidimensional definition of maternal well-being and outline an empirically grounded measurement strategy that combines SWLS, WHO-5, selected Ryff PWB subscales, and distress indicators, such as EPDS and parenting stress indices. This concept analysis reframes maternal well-being as a relational and structural achievement, shifting attention from individual pathology to the organisation of care, time, and support. We also outline policy implications, highlighting how paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and protections against intimate partner violence can function as structural levers for improving maternal well-being.

Download

Share

COinS