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.