Parenting stress in early motherhood: stress spillover and social support¹

Abstract

Mothers facing stressors or lacking adequate support often fi nd parenting more challenging and less enjoyable. This study examined the mechanisms through which contextual variables might infl uence perceptions of parenting. Participants were 153 mothers of toddlers who completed interviews and questionnaires on life adversity, social support, negative aff ect, and parenting stress. Life adversity was positively associated with parenting stress and this association was mediated through negative aff ect. Emotional support moderated the association between adversity and negative aff ect. Life adversity appeared to promote negative aff ect, which in turn led mothers to regard their child as more obstinate and demanding and their interactions with their children as less enjoyable. Adversity had little eff ect on parental perceptions among mothers with adequate emotional support.

Toddler Externalizing Behavior, Social Support, and Parenting Stress: Examining a Moderator Model

“…Social support also has been found to have particular benefits for those experiencing stressful life events or other significant challenges (Alloway & Bebbington, 1987;Barrera, 1986;Cohen & Wills, 1985;Lee et al, 2011;Maguire-Jack & Wang, 2016;Parkes & Sweeting, 2018;Schoefield et al, 2012). Additionally, research has found that social support is beneficial to mothers who experience the increased caretaking demands of early childhood (Arikan et al, 2019;Green et al, 2011) or parenting stress associated with raising a child with challenging behavior (BeLue et al, 2015;Cherry et al, 2019;Heberle et al, 2015;Huang et al, 2014;Maguire-Jack & Wang, 2016;Williamson et al, 2013). Therefore, social support may serve as an important family resource that buffers the effect of stress on parent functioning.…”

“…The toddler years are a developmental period associated with increases in externalizing behaviors, such as tantrums, aggression, and oppositional behavior (Alink et al, 2006;Holtz et al, 2015;Williamson et al, 2013). Although normative, these increases in behavior problems present daily challenges that may lead to increases in parental stress.…”

Teenage motherhood and the evaluation of relationships in the family of origin in mothers in their early adulthood

“…Becoming a parent before one achieves maturity is one of the most difficult experiences for young people, especially for girls, who shoulder the greatest consequences of early motherhood (Mikołajczyk-Lerman, 2007). To teenagers, pregnancy almost always comes as a surprise bordering on shock -an event for which they are completely psychologically unprepared (Kościelska, 1998;Williamson et al, 2013). Then comes the fear of one's own future and concern about the parents' reaction.…”

“…When considering the psychological aspect of teenage motherhood, we should point out that young girls are under the burden of two stressful crisesadolescence and pregnancy. This problematic situation renders teenage mothers much more vulnerable to physical and psychological stress-related disorders (Christ et al, 1990;Conger et al, 1984;Garcia Coll et al, 1987;Leese, 2016;Mikołajczyk-Lerman, 2007;Williamson et al, 2013). Support coming from mothers and life partners significantly reduces the difficulties (Gee & Rhodes, 2003), and teenagers begin to feel competent (Bidzan & Redzimska, 2004).…”

“…Those who receive no support are more prone to depression, remain withdrawn, and feel guilty (Birkeland, Thompson, & Phares, 2005;Komorowska, 2012;Skowrońska-Zbierzchowska, 2010). Studies have shown that early motherhood can act as a setback -or on the contrary, dramatically boost a girl's development (Buchholz & Gol, 1986;Duncan, Edwards, & Alexander, 2010;Leese, 2016;Thompson & Wood, 2012;Williamson et al, 2013).…”