Reframing Maternal Distress: A Sociocultural Model of Identity Formation in Matrescence

Matrescence, the developmental transition to motherhood, involves profound psychological, relational, and sociocultural change, yet remains under-theorized within maternal mental health scholarship, where existing frameworks often prioritize diagnosis and symptom identification over the identity-based and contextual processes that shape maternal wellbeing. This study employs a critical integrative review methodology to synthesize interdisciplinary literature and develop a theoretically grounded model of maternal identity formation. It advances the Sociocultural Model of Maternal Identity Formation, which conceptualizes identity formation as a core developmental task of matrescence, processed within oppressive hegemonic systems. The model identifies key interrelated processes through which sociocultural expectations, relational feedback, and ambivalence shape psychosocial outcomes for mothers. By offering a conceptual framework for understanding psychosocial pathways to maternal distress beyond diagnostic categories, this study positions maternal identity formation as a dynamic and modifiable process. In doing so, it highlights opportunities for more holistic, relational, and structurally informed social work interventions across micro, mezzo, and macro levels, extending current understandings of maternal mental health beyond a purely clinical lens toward one that accounts for the broader social and systemic forces shaping the experience of becoming a mother.