Mothers’ mental health and life satisfaction may have been negatively affected due to challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the risk of future crises, knowledge of possible mitigating factors in this population is essential. This study aims to examine whether the pandemic affected the level of protective factors such as social support, physical activity and employment situation, and how these factors are associated with mental distress and life satisfaction.

Longitudinal cohort study.

Primary outcomes were mental distress (measured by the eight-item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist) and life satisfaction (measured by the Satisfaction With Life Scale). As the first step, we investigated changes in the levels of social support (defined by the number and frequency of social contact), physical activity (average hours of physical activity during a week), employment situation (actively working vs sick leave or unemployed), alcohol consumption (measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption) and relationship satisfaction (measured by the five-item version of the Relationship Satisfaction Scale).

We analysed data from two waves of the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (n=~18 000 mothers); one pre-pandemic wave and one wave where half of the sample responded after the onset of the pandemic, with pandemic exposure being defined by questionnaire response timing rather than cohort recruitment. To assess changes in protective factors over time and pandemic exposure, we used difference-in-differences analyses and regression discontinuity design. Associations between protective factors with mental distress and life satisfaction, and possible moderation by pandemic exposure, were investigated using multiple regression models with interaction terms adjusted for potential confounders.

Apart from physical activity, which declined less across time in the pandemic group (B=0.09, 99% CI 0.05 to 0.12), protective factors did not change during the pandemic. Social support, employment situation and relationship satisfaction were associated with mental distress and life satisfaction, whereas physical activity showed a unique relationship with mental distress. Most associations were similar across pandemic exposure groups, except employment situation which appeared to have a stronger protective effect in the pandemic group (β=–0.12, 99% CI –0.24 to –0.00).

Changes over time in self-reported levels of protective factors were generally consistent among mothers independent of the pandemic. These factors appear to play an equally important role for mental distress and life satisfaction both under ordinary circumstances and during public health crises. Our findings enhance the understanding of how potential protective factors among mothers are associated with mental distress and life satisfaction in the context of a global stressor. Future studies should investigate additional mitigating factors that may be particularly relevant during global crises and explore the causal relationship between protective factors, mental health and life satisfaction.