Limitations and Future Directions
A limitation of this study is the small sample size. As some of the profiles had a small number of mothers, it was not possible to run rigorous analyses (e.g., logistic regressions of demographic and child mental health in the latent transition analyses). Understanding the unique experiences of maternal mental health based on ethnicity is of critical importance. However, the sample size of mothers was small. The fact that participants were recruited from one city is another limitation. In addition, the COVID-19 data collection occurred mainly during the first six months after the pandemic began. In the long run, the effects of the pandemic may be more pronounced on maternal mental health. Furthermore, all assessments of mental health were self-reported and completed by mothers. There may be reporter effect with spillover between how mothers report feeling and how they rate their children are doing. In the future, it would be valuable to look at maternal mental health using a larger sample size across multiple time points during COVID-19, using multiple methods and multiple informants.