Within the maternal domain, dominant themes included 1) emotional health: all respondents indicated that a mother's emotional health greatly affects her child's well being; 2) self - efficacy: mothers believed in the importance of accepting responsibility for monitoring their own well being
and that of their child;
and 3) support systems: all mothers expressed the need to
share parenting experiences, stressors,
and depressive symptoms
with someone (most preferred to speak
with family or
friends rather than
with their child's pediatrician).