Investigating the theoretical intersections between identity and uncertainty (management) among women with postpartum depression

This study illuminates qualitative relationships between identity and uncertainty (management) to theorize about their mutual influence on the self using the context of mothers with postpartum depression (PPD), which is a major disruption to women's identities. Interviews with mothers (N = 27) revealed (a) eight identity gaps across four identity frames, (b) five sources of uncertainty, (c) three identity bridging strategies, (d) four uncertainty management strategies, (e) three co-occurring relationships between identity and uncertainty sources, and (f) four co-occurring relationships between identity and uncertainty management. We advance Uncertainty Management Theory (UMT) and the Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) by (a) theorizing a robust qualitative relationship between uncertainty and identity, (b) challenging identity gaps as problematic, and (c) demonstrating the expansive potential of uncertainty.