Appendix A: Factor Loadings and Model Fit Indices for Maternal Mental Health Pre and During COVID-19
The model did not fit the data during COVID-19 when the stress indicator ‘Feeling confident in handling personal problems’ was included. Model fit was acceptable once it was removed. Given the study objectives of comparing maternal mental health pre – to during covid-19, the item was also removed from the stress measure prior to COVID-19. As can be seen from Appendix A, the model significantly improved once the item was removed. Therefore, the subsequent analyses using maternal mental health did not include the ‘Feeling confident in handling personal problems.