Does Mothers’ Self-Construal Contribute to Parenting Beyond Socioeconomic Status and Maternal Efficacy? an Exploratory Study of Turkish Mothers

Abstract

This study examined the relative contribution of mothers’ self-construal to parenting above and beyond family socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal efficacy beliefs about parenting. A total of 58 Turkish mothers and their preschool-aged children participated in dyadic tasks in the laboratory setting. For the measurement of parenting, direct behavioral observations of mother–child interactions in three interaction contexts were utilized, and mother ratings of emotion socialization were obtained. Mothers also reported on their parenting efficacy, self-construal, child temperament, and family demographics. Results revealed a more balanced endorsement of autonomous and relational self-characteristics as well as more sensitive parenting among higher SES mothers. Furthermore, mothers’ self-construal contributed unique variance to the prediction of sensitive parenting over and above SES, maternal efficacy and child temperament. Yet, in the prediction of negatively controlling parenting, mothers’ self-construal did not account for unique variance. Lower parenting efficacy and lower SES were the only predictors of punishing, overriding, and distress magnifying responses. Finally, results indicated a marginally significant indirect effect from SES to sensitive parenting via autonomous-related self-construal, controlling for the indirect effect of maternal efficacy.

Moderation of parenting by inhibitory control in the prediction of the common and unique variance of hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention

“…Six scales were rated from these observations: (a) quality of guidance (i.e., the extent to which the mother dynamically adjusts her cognitive guidance to child needs); (b) supportive presence (i.e., the emotional support offered by the mother to her child); (c) effective structure and limit setting (i.e., the mother's ability to structure and appropriately limit the child's behavior during the task); (d) acceptation of the child (i.e., the way the mother responds to her child's reactions or initiatives, the degree to which she accepts these reactions, and the degree to which she accepts her child in general); (e) respect for child's autonomy (i.e., the extent to which the mother acts in a manner that aims to recognize and respect her child's individuality, motivations, and perceptions during the task); and (f) low hostility (i.e., low levels of anger, denigration, or rejection of the child by the mother). These scales are based on Oppenheim, Emde, and Wamboldt (1996; scales a and d) and Erickson, Sroufe, and Egeland (1985; all other scales), and are frequently used to assess the quality of parenting behaviors (e.g., Corapci, Benveniste, & Bilge, 2018; de Jong & Leseman, 2001; Gini, Oppenheim, & Sagi-Schwartz, 2007; Lawler, Koss, & Gunnar, 2017; Lucassen et al, 2015; Shlafer, Raby, Lawler, Hesemeyer, & Roisman, 2015; Stoltz, Beijers, Smeekens, & Dekovic, 2017). Details regarding ratings for each scale are provided in the online-only Supplementary Materials.…”

Examining the role of socioeconomic status and temperament in the hair cortisol levels of infants

“…Although we did not measure parenting dimensions in the current study, we can speculate that parenting skills would also be negatively affected in low-SES environments. Specifically, mothers in low-SES environments are likely to be less sensitive, less supportive, and more intrusive (Bornstein & Bradley, 2003;Corapci, Benveniste, & Bilge, 2018;Ispa et al, 2004).…”

“…Although we did not measure parenting dimensions in the current study, we can speculate that parenting skills would also be negatively affected in low‐SES environments. Specifically, mothers in low‐SES environments are likely to be less sensitive, less supportive, and more intrusive (Bornstein & Bradley, 2003; Corapci, Benveniste, & Bilge, 2018; Ispa et al., 2004). Infants with higher negative affectivity may have more difficulty in modulating their reactions to daily stress and may need more support from parents, and when they do not obtain that, their stress regulation system is lowered, resulting in lower cortisol levels.…”

Dynamics of generation values and environmental ethics in the information space: case of a metropolis and regional centre

“…If in Arkhangelsk sample there is an increasing orientation to values of stability (Tradition, Conformity), in St. Petersburg sample we found an opposite tendency. As a matter of interest, cultural value shifts towards autonomy and assertiveness emerged in urban families in developing collectivistic societies like India, China, Japan, and Turkey are associated with the socio-demographic changes in the global context [37][38][39]. These changes correlate with levels of education and urbanization across the country, especially for younger generations, indicating a shift in generational values [38].…”