Introduction
Mothers who experience mental health problems often experience the
co-occurrence of stress, anxiety, and depression (Ramakrishna et al.,
2019). Symptoms of maternal stress, anxiety, and depression are
associated with poor physical health (Slomian et al., 2019), disrupted
work performance (Napora et al., 2018), social relationship problems
(Jones & Coast, 2013), and dysfunctional parenting (Crosby Budinger et
al., 2013). Furthermore, because mothers are often the primary
caregivers for their children, poor maternal mental health can also
negatively impact their children’s mental health, resulting in
internalizing (emotional) and externalizing (disruptive) problems
(Arroyo-Borrell et al., 2017).
While the negative implications of COVID-19 disruptions on maternal
mental health have been documented (Babore et al., 2023; Burns et al.,
2022), it is widely acknowledged that further investigation is needed to
fully understand the unique impacts and identify potential interventions
(Wade et al., 2023). Specifically, it is crucial to investigate the
potential negative effects of COVID-19 on maternal mental health for
at-risk populations, such as low-income and diverse families, who may
face additional stressors and barriers to accessing resources for
support (Whitehead et al., 2021). Therefore, the current study uses
latent transition analysis to investigate how low-income mothers in
Canada’s largest city transited in mental health profiles prior to
during COVID-19.