How Alpha-Mom Blog Use Enhances the Mental Health of Mothers of Young Children: From the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory

Backgrounds: Alpha-mom blog refers to social media posts that portray mothers who excel at domestic life and childcare, presenting an idealized image of the perfect mother. The popularity of the Alpha-mom blog has led to increased academic interest in the impact on maternal psychology. Based on Self-Determination Theory, this study aims to explain the relationship between Alpha-mom blog use, parenting self-efficacy, perceived social support, and mothers’ mental health. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey with 649 Chinese mothers of young children was conducted (Mage = 29.71, SD = 3.53). The majority of participants came from low-to-middle-income households and had only one child. This study used SPSS 24.0 and PROCESS macro 3.1 for data analysis. Results: The findings indicate that (1) Alpha-mom blog use indirectly and positively predicts mental health through parenting self-efficacy and perceived social support; (2) Endorsement of intensive mothering serves as a potent moderator, suggesting that Alpha-mom blog use has comparatively stronger effects on parenting self-efficacy and perceived social support for mothers with low endorsement of intensive mothering. Conclusions: The study suggests that social media plays a positive role in enhancing mothers’ sense of empowerment and mental health, while acknowledging the potential limitations of the Alpha-mom blog in benefiting vulnerable young mothers with multiple children and lower income status.