Isolated, overwhelmed, and worried: Young first‐time mothers asking for information and support online

Abstract

This study investigates the emotional content of 174 posts from 162 posters to online forums made by young (age 14–21) first‐time mothers to understand what emotions are expressed in these posts and how these emotions interact with the types of posts and the indicators of Information Poverty within the posts. Using textual analyses we provide a classification of emotions within posts across three main themes of interaction emotions, response emotions, and preoccupation emotions and show that many requests for information by young first‐time mothers are motivated by negative emotions. This has implications for how moderators of online news groups respond to online request for help and for understanding how to support vulnerable young parents.