A Study Of New Mothers Reveals The Importance of Community

We have all heard before that it takes a village to raise a child. The support parents receive from their family, friends, and community members can have a profound impact on the family’s happiness and stress levels. This is especially true for new parents who may need the extra help in the beginning of a new journey with their first baby. 

Five researches from the University of Washington set out to answer this question: How does support from a community affect the way a parent relates to their own children and their ability to raise them? They studied new mothers with varying degrees of stress and support from the communities around them. The researchers concluded that, “Mothers without strong support from a community had higher levels of stress, and mothers with higher levels of stress were more worn down and pessimistic about parenting.” They also found the opposite true, “mothers with strong support from their communities had lower levels of stress and were optimistic about parenting.” 

Essentially, if you want to raise healthy, well-adjusted children, then you need to take an optimistic approach to parenting. According to Tyler Tervooren from riskology.co, in order to have an optimistic approach to parenting, you need to build a network of support to help you through the difficulties of being a parent. “Having the support of a community unlocks numerous skills and resources to make your life easier as you navigate the hurdles of parenthood,” says Tervooren. He adds, “That, in turn, relieves some of your stress and allows you to look at your duty with more optimism and a sense of connectedness with others that gives your effort even more purpose.”

The lesson to be learned here applies for everyone, not just new mothers.  Being in community is vital to successes, and it truly takes a village to not only raise a child, but also help us achieve our dreams. “If you want your dream to flourish and reach its maximum potential, then you need to pursue it with optimism and give it the nurturing it needs to grow while keeping unhelpful stress at bay. And to do that, you need the support of a community to help you take it there,” says Tervooren.

We’re all about community building here at Community Well and we aim to help you achieve your health and wellness goals. Our services are directed towards everyone, whether you need maternal health support, wellness advice or family programs and education. Community is in our name, and we’re here to help you achieve the life you wish and dream of!