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Journal of Family Psychology : JFP :... Apr 2023The relations between maternal sensitivity and infant negative emotionality have been tested extensively in the previous literature. However, the extent to which these...
The relations between maternal sensitivity and infant negative emotionality have been tested extensively in the previous literature. However, the extent to which these associations reflect unidirectional or bidirectional effects over time remains somewhat uncertain. Further, the possibility that maternal characteristics moderate the extent to which infant negative emotionality predicts maternal sensitivity over time has yet to be tested in cross-lag models. The goal of the present study is to address these gaps. First time mothers ( = 259; 50% White; 50% Black) and their infants participated when infants were 6, 14, and 26 months of age. Infant negative emotionality was assessed via maternal report and direct observation during standardized laboratory tasks, which were subsequently combined to yield a multimethod measure at each wave. Maternal sensitivity was observationally coded at each wave and mothers self-reported emotion dysregulation at 6 and 14 months. A random intercepts cross-lagged model with maternal emotion dysregulation specified as a moderator revealed that infant negative emotionality at 6 months was negatively associated with maternal sensitivity at 14 months, but only among mothers higher in emotion dysregulation. Higher maternal sensitivity was in turn associated with lower infant negative emotionality when infants were 26 months of age. The indirect pathway was significant, lending support for the transactional model. Implications for future research and prevention/intervention are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Female; Humans; Infant; Emotions; Mothers; Infant Behavior; Mother-Child Relations
PubMed: 36689388
DOI: 10.1037/fam0001060 -
MCN. the American Journal of Maternal...Maternal self-confidence facilitates infant growth and new mother role development. Infant ability to breastfeed and maternal breastfeeding self-confidence are...
PURPOSE
Maternal self-confidence facilitates infant growth and new mother role development. Infant ability to breastfeed and maternal breastfeeding self-confidence are imperative to helping mothers meet their breastfeeding goals. Consistent opportunity for infant movement in the prone position has been shown to improve breastfeeding ability; however, families report a lack of knowledge of how to safely support this activity. Perceptions of maternal self-confidence, infant development, and breastfeeding success upon completion of an infant prone positioning program with focus on posture, movement, and connection were studied.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
Qualitative interviews were conducted among breastfeeding mothers in three states to explore maternal perceptions of learning about infant prone positioning.
RESULTS
Thirty-five mothers who completed an infant prone positioning program shared their perceptions of infant interaction, prone play and positioning, and breastfeeding self-confidence. Four primary themes were identified from the analysis: maternal knowledge and self-confidence; strategies and practices learned; breastfeeding benefits of infant prone positioning; and motivation for program participation.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Our findings support consideration of teaching new mothers about prone positioning to enhance self-confidence in mothering, breastfeeding skills, infant development, and maternal-infant dyad bonding.
Topics: Adult; Breast Feeding; Child; Child Development; Educational Measurement; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Infant; Male; Maternal Behavior; Mother-Child Relations; Mothers; Program Evaluation; Prone Position; Self Concept
PubMed: 34166238
DOI: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000731 -
Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral... Feb 2023Racial disparities in maternal health are alarming and persistent. Use of electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to understand the maternal... (Review)
Review
Racial disparities in maternal health are alarming and persistent. Use of electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to understand the maternal brain can improve our knowledge of maternal health by providing insight into mechanisms underlying maternal well-being, including implications for child development. However, systematic racial bias exists in EEG methodology-particularly for Black individuals-and in psychological and health research broadly. This paper discusses these biases in the context of EEG/ERP research on the maternal brain. First, we assess the racial/ethnic diversity of existing ERP studies of maternal neural responding to infant/child emotional expressions, using papers from a recent meta-analysis, finding that the majority of mothers represented in this research are of White/European ancestry and that the racially and ethnically diverse samples that are present are limited in terms of geography. Therefore, our current knowledge base in this area may be biased and not generalizable across racially diverse mothers. We outline factors underlying this problem, beginning with the racial bias in EEG equipment that systematically excludes individuals of African descent, and also considering factors specific to research with mothers. Finally, we highlight recent innovations to EEG hardware to better accommodate diverse hairstyles and textures, and other important steps to increase racial and ethnic representativeness in EEG/ERP research with mothers. We urge EEG/ERP researchers who study the maternal brain-including our own research group-to take action to increase racial diversity so that this research area can confidently inform understanding of maternal health and contribute to minimizing maternal health disparities.
Topics: Female; Infant; Child; Humans; Racial Groups; Mothers; Electroencephalography; Brain
PubMed: 36414837
DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01040-w -
Psychological Review Nov 2023For new mothers, coping with infant distress is challenging. Mothers' self-efficacy in emotion-related parenting plays critical roles in shaping their adaptation and... (Review)
Review
Origins and development of maternal self-efficacy in emotion-related parenting during the transition to parenthood: Toward an integrative process framework beyond Bandura's model.
For new mothers, coping with infant distress is challenging. Mothers' self-efficacy in emotion-related parenting plays critical roles in shaping their adaptation and children's development. Research on antecedents of maternal parenting self-efficacy has been predominantly based on the global self-efficacy theory outlined by Bandura in the 1970s. Despite the utility of Bandura's theory, subsequent research on emotion-related parenting has highlighted avenues for extending and adapting his model to more adequately elucidate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes underlying the development of maternal emotion-related parenting self-efficacy. In view of the basic and applied value of a clearer account of how new mothers' emotion-related parenting self-efficacy emerges and evolves, the increasing amount of research on this topic, and the absence of syntheses of extant studies, we reviewed relevant literature. First, constructs and propositions in prevailing theoretical perspectives are examined for their utility to elucidate the development of new mothers' emotion-related parenting self-efficacy, particularly the implicated cognitive, affective, and behavioral mechanisms and how they work together. Second, a framework is outlined that integrates strengths of various theories to delineate processes underlying the emergence and evolution of new mothers' emotion-related parenting self-efficacy. Third, findings across disparate studies are summarized to provide a foundation for the offered framework. To better inform future research, we demonstrated how to build testable mid-range models with substantive constructs and hypotheses from the proposed framework through deductive theorizing process. We also evaluated the utility of the proposed model for studying new fathers. Last, implications for future research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Female; Child; Infant; Humans; Parenting; Self Efficacy; Emotions; Mothers
PubMed: 35786986
DOI: 10.1037/rev0000382 -
Sleep Medicine Clinics Dec 2023This literature review seeks to understand how motherhood and profession affect women's sleep. After the birth of a child, there is an increase in dissatisfaction with... (Review)
Review
This literature review seeks to understand how motherhood and profession affect women's sleep. After the birth of a child, there is an increase in dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of sleep. Awakenings and sleep disturbances are more frequent and can lead to increased fatigue and stress to reconcile household activities and work demands. These changes in sleep can lead to physical and/or psychological health problems. Sleep hygiene and social support become fundamental for the performance of the maternal tasks, reducing risks and increasing prevention of future problems, both for women and children.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Sleep; Mothers; Sleep Hygiene; Social Support
PubMed: 38501520
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2023.06.009 -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Jul 2019Improved understanding of vegetable intake changes between pregnancy and postpartum may inform future intervention targets to establish healthy home food environments....
BACKGROUND
Improved understanding of vegetable intake changes between pregnancy and postpartum may inform future intervention targets to establish healthy home food environments. Therefore, the goal of this study was to explore the changes in vegetable intake between pregnancy and the postnatal period and explore maternal and sociodemographic factors that are associated with these changes.
METHODS
We examined sociodemographic, dietary, and health characteristics of healthy mothers 18-43y from the prospective Infant Feeding Practices II cohort (n = 847) (2005-2012). Mothers completed a modified version of the diet history questionnaire, a food-frequency measure, developed by the National Cancer Institute. We created four categories of mothers, those that were: meeting vegetable recommendations post- but not prenatally (n = 121; improved intake), not meeting vegetable recommendations during pregnancy and postnatally (n = 370; stable inadequate), meeting recommendations pre- but not postnatally (n = 123; reduced intake), and meeting recommendations at both time points (n = 233; stable adequate). To make our results more relevant to public health recommendations, we were interested in comparing the improved vegetable intake group vs. stable inadequate vegetable intake group, as well as those that reduced their vegetable intake compared to the stable adequate vegetable intake group. Separate multivariable-adjusted logistic regression were used to examine sociodemographic predictors of improved vs. stable inadequate and reduced vs. stable adequate vegetable intake.
RESULTS
Women with improved vegetable intake vs. stable inadequate smoked fewer cigarettes while women with reduced vegetable intake vs. stable adequate were more likely to experience less pregnancy weight gain. In adjusted models, employed women had greater odds of reduced vegetable intake (OR = 1.64 95% CI 1.14-2.36). In exploratory analyses, employment was associated with greater odds of reduced vegetable intake among low-income (OR = 1.79; 95% CI 1.03-3.1), but not higher income women (OR = 1.31; 95% CI 0.94-1.84). After further adjustment for paid maternity leave, employment was no longer associated with vegetable intake among lower income women (OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 0.76-3.05).
CONCLUSIONS
More women with reduced vs. stable adequate vegetable intake were lower income and worked full time. Improved access to paid maternity leave may help reduce disparities in vegetable quality between lower and higher income women.
Topics: Adult; Diet; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Maternal Health; Mothers; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Vegetables; Young Adult
PubMed: 31349808
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-019-2353-0 -
PeerJ 2022Low maternal self-efficacy and high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress can be triggered in adolescent mothers due to an incomplete development process that makes...
BACKGROUND
Low maternal self-efficacy and high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress can be triggered in adolescent mothers due to an incomplete development process that makes them physically or psychologically unprepared for the responsibilities of motherhood and parenting. These factors may be linked to difficulties with their children's social-emotional development. The present study aims to: (a) analyze the relationship between maternal self-efficacy and stress, depression, and anxiety levels in low-income adolescent mothers; (b) examine the relationship between maternal self-efficacy and well-being with children's social-emotional development; and (c) describe the effects of maternal self-efficacy on children's social-emotional development, mediated by maternal well-being.
METHODS
A sample of 79 dyads comprising low-income Chilean adolescent mothers aged from 15 to 21 years old (M = 19.1, SD = 1.66) and their children aged 10 to 24 months (M = 15.5, SD = 4.2) participated in this research. A set of psychometric scales was used to measure maternal self-efficacy (Parental Evaluation Scale, EEP), the mothers' anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), maternal stress (Parental Stress Scale, PSS), and the children's social-emotional development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire Socio-emotional, ASQ-SE). Bivariate analyses and mediation models were employed to estimate and test the relevant relationships.
RESULTS
A bivariate analysis showed that maternal self-efficacy was negatively related to the mother's anxiety, depression, and stress. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between maternal self-efficacy and maternal stress, and children's self-regulation and social-emotional development. Maternal self-efficacy, mediated by maternal anxiety, depression, and stress scores, had a significant effect on the development of children's self-regulation.
CONCLUSIONS
The results confirm the importance of adolescent mothers' emotional well-being and maternal self- efficacy with respect to their children's social-emotional development. This makes it necessary to have detailed information about how emotional and self-perception status influences a mother's role in the development of her children.
Topics: Humans; Child; Female; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult; Infant; Child, Preschool; Mothers; Adolescent Mothers; Mother-Child Relations; Self Efficacy; Chile
PubMed: 35433128
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13162 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Oct 2021Maternal effects, or the influence of maternal environment and phenotype on offspring phenotype, may allow mothers to fine-tune their offspring's developmental... (Review)
Review
Maternal effects, or the influence of maternal environment and phenotype on offspring phenotype, may allow mothers to fine-tune their offspring's developmental trajectory and resulting phenotype sometimes long after the offspring has reached independence. However, maternal effects on offspring phenotype do not evolve in isolation, but rather within the context of a family unit, where the separate and often conflicting evolutionary interests of mothers, fathers and offspring are all at play. While intrafamilial conflicts are routinely invoked to explain other components of reproductive strategy, remarkably little is known about how intrafamilial conflicts influence maternal effects. We argue that much of the considerable variation in the relationship between maternally derived hormones, nutrients and other compounds and the resulting offspring phenotype might be explained by the presence of conflicting selection pressures on different family members. In this review, we examine the existing literature on maternal hormone allocation as a case study for maternal effects more broadly, and explore new hypotheses that arise when we consider current findings within a framework that explicitly incorporates the different evolutionary interests of the mother, her offspring and other family members. Specifically, we hypothesise that the relationship between maternal hormone allocation and offspring phenotype depends on a mother's ability to manipulate the signals she sends to offspring, the ability of family members to be plastic in their response to those signals and the capacity for the phenotypes and strategies of various family members to interact and influence one another on both behavioural and evolutionary timescales. We also provide suggestions for experimental, comparative and theoretical work that may be instrumental in testing these hypotheses. In particular, we highlight that manipulating the level of information available to different family members may reveal important insights into when and to what extent maternal hormones influence offspring development. We conclude that the evolution of maternal hormone allocation is likely to be shaped by the conflicting fitness optima of mothers, fathers and offspring, and that the outcome of this conflict depends on the relative balance of power between family members. Extending our hypotheses to incorporate interactions between family members, as well as more complex social groups and a wider range of taxa, may provide exciting new developments in the fields of endocrinology and maternal effects.
Topics: Female; Hormones; Humans; Mothers; Phenotype; Reproduction
PubMed: 33988906
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12733 -
Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent... Aug 2022This study aimed to analyze factors related to adolescent mothers' satisfaction with childbirth.
STUDY OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to analyze factors related to adolescent mothers' satisfaction with childbirth.
DESIGN
Prospective and cross-sectional study PARTICIPANTS: Fifty adolescent mothers with maternal age from 14 to 19 years and delivery of a single and live newborn at term SETTING: Low-risk maternity hospital INTERVENTION: The participants were invited to answer a questionnaire (North Bristol modified version of the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale [mMCSRS]) with 18 items measuring childbirth satisfaction. Each item was to be rated on a 5-point Likert scale (very dissatisfied to very satisfied).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
The main outcome measure was the total score on the questionnaire.
RESULTS
The median maternal age was 18 years (95% CI, 11-25), and the median maternal satisfaction score of adolescent mothers was 88 (95% CI, 83-90). There was a significant difference in the total scores on the mMCSRS regarding the following factors: "oral fluid and food intake during labor" (yes = 84.0 vs no = 78.0, P = 0.044); "professional who attended the birth" (physician = 78.0 vs midwife = 86.0, P = 0.022); "skin-to-skin contact" (yes = 83.0 vs no = 71.0, P = 0.004); and "breastfeeding at the first hour" (yes = 84.5 vs no = 75.5, P = 0.008). Multiple regression with a stepwise procedure identified the following independent factors: "gestational age" (coefficient = 2.14, P = 0.03), "oral fluid and food intake during labor" (coefficient = 5.30, P = 0.013), and "skin-to-skin contact" (coefficient = 11.2, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Satisfaction with childbirth in adolescent mothers is associated with measures that can be easily implemented in the health care system. They are chiefly the provision of oral fluid and food during labor and skin-to-skin contact. Specific strategies are thus needed to increase adolescents' satisfaction with childbirth.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Mothers; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Mothers; Parturition; Patient Satisfaction; Personal Satisfaction; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Young Adult
PubMed: 34902561
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2021.12.004 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2022Mothers of children with ADHD are at risk for negative health outcomes. The socio-cultural environment and everyday experiences in life roles may influence psychological...
Mothers of children with ADHD are at risk for negative health outcomes. The socio-cultural environment and everyday experiences in life roles may influence psychological health and quality of life. The ultra-orthodox Jewish (UOJ) community is an insular community who is underrepresented in the research, and as such there are no studies exploring the experience of mothering a child in this community. Thus, this study aims to explore the lived experience of mothering a child with ADHD in the UOJ community. The study used a descriptive qualitative phenomenological approach. Ten UOJ mothers of children with ADHD underwent semi-structured in-depth interviews to explore their lived experiences of mothering a child with ADHD. Thematic analysis was carried out on the transcripts. Four main themes, along with several subthemes, emerged from the qualitative analysis: child ADHD manifestations, maternal role, social factors, and self-care. Unique characteristics of the UOJ culture were apparent throughout the themes. UOJ children with ADHD display similar manifestations of symptoms in daily life to those in the general population and maternal burden is similarly present. However, unique perceptions of their maternal role, social factors, and legitimacy for self-care shed light into the impact of this culture on their lived experience. Findings may help promote culturally sensitive health care and interventions for this understudied population.
Topics: Child; Female; Humans; Quality of Life; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Mothers; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 36361375
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114483