Intergenerational Transmission of Sociability: The Mediating Role of Maternal Competence and Maternal Child-Centrism

Abstract

This study focuses on the psychological mechanisms of mothering involved in the association of maternal sociability and the sociability of their preschool children. In particular, it is posited that this association is mediated by two maternal psychological conceptualizations: (a) perception of ability to take on the role of motherhood (i.e., maternal competence) and (b) perception of distribution of resources between child and self (i.e., maternal child-centrism). Participants included 320 Jewish–Israeli mothers of preschool children (age 4-6 years) who completed self-reported questionnaires dealing with social relationships, child sociability, maternal competence, and maternal child-centrism. Multiple regression analyses confirmed the mediating effect of maternal competence and child-centrism as well as the association between the mother’s sociability and child sociability. These findings are discussed in light of social capital theory and contemporary parenting styles. Professionals working with families should be aware of the impact of social networks on maternal perception and their influence on children.

Mental health rescue effects of women's outdoor tourism: A role in COVID-19 recovery

“…Flow-on effects of improved mental health to other family members are also a novel finding. It has been well established that poor mental health in parents, both female and male, has flow-on consequences for children ( Bowlby, 1951 ; Flouri & Buchanan, 2003 ; Lavenda & Kestler-Peleg, 2018 ; Luebbe & Bell, 2014 ; Repetti, Taylor, & Seeman, 2002 ), and that these may persist lifelong ( Fingerman, Huo, Graham, Kim, & Birditt, 2017 ; Lee et al, 2017 ; Mallers, Charles, Neupert, & Almeida, 2010 ; Stafford et al, 2015 ). Here we show that women's walking-in-nature tourism also yields benefits for partners and children.…”

From Parent to Child? The Long-Lasting Effects of Social Support

“…Previous literature has suggested that parents transfer skills and behaviours to children through cognitive representations of positive, stable, and confident relationships (Bowlby, 1969;Pullataz et al, 1998). 2 Lavenda and Kestler-Peleg (2018) find that the mother's sociability (defined as perceived social support) is positively associated with their preschool child's sociability. Parents can also transfer social skills and pro-social behaviours by transferring values, perceptions of ethics and morals to children.…”

“…Pratt et al (2003) show that households with authoritative parenting display greater agreement on social values between parents and children than families with less strict discipline. Lavenda and Kestler-Peleg (2018) show the mediating effect of maternal competence (defined as the extent to which a mother feels confident and capable of caring for her children) in the intergenerational transmission of sociability (perceived social support).…”

“…Where other studies have had to use measurements for parent and child that are close in time (e.g. Weiss, 2012;Lavenda and Kestler-Peleg, 2018), the HILDA data allow for a longer time-period between measurement of parental social support and measurement of the child's social support in young adulthood. Parental social support is as perceived and reported by the parent, while child social support is as perceived and reported by the child, which avoids correlation in the answers due to the same person reporting the social support for the parent and the child (e.g.…”

“…Parental social support is as perceived and reported by the parent, while child social support is as perceived and reported by the child, which avoids correlation in the answers due to the same person reporting the social support for the parent and the child (e.g. Lavenda and Kestler-Peleg, 2018). We apply a multilevel approach to assess the impact of social support experienced by the parents in an individual's childhood on the individual's subsequent capacity to establish adequate social support in adulthood.…”