Open Access

ARTICLE

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

Ran Feng^1,*, Yulei Feng²

1 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China
2 College of Arts and Media, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

* Corresponding Author: Ran Feng. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Psychological Well-being and Psychopathology in the New Millennium: Evolving Paradigms, Challenges, and Resources)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2026, 28(6), 7 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.079812

Received 28 January 2026; Accepted 16 April 2026; Issue published 23 June 2026

Abstract

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 (M_age = 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.

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Keywords

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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