Abstract
Parenting beliefs are important to infant wellbeing, but there is a lack of research into their role in war conditions. We examined (1) how maternal traumatic experiences (war events and childhood abuse) and mental health would be associated with parenting beliefs about good childrearing practices (ethnotheories) and desirable child characteristics (socialization goals) and (2) whether parenting beliefs mediate the impact of traumatic experiences and mental health on mother–infant interaction and infant development. Palestinian mothers (N = 510) participated during pregnancy and at four and 12 months postpartum. They reported current traumatic war events, emotional and physical abuse in their own childhood and mental health (posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety symptoms), their ethnotheories and socialization goals and the quality of dyadic mother–infant interactions and infant developmental skills (language, fine-motor, and gross-motor). High maternal exposure to traumatic war events was associated with higher autonomy-enhancing—and lower relatedness-enhancing—socialization goals. Conversely, maternal childhood abuse was associated with higher relatedness-enhancing—and lower autonomy-enhancing—socialization goals. High maternal exposure to traumatic war events was associated with high levels of positive dyadic interaction, whereas high emotional and physical abuse and mental health problems were associated with low levels of positive dyadic interaction. Parenting beliefs did not mediate the impact of maternal traumatic experiences and mental health on dyadic interaction or infant development. The nature of maternal traumatic experiences was central for the socialization goals in unique and specific ways. The findings emphasize the meaningfulness of parenting values, goals, and practices among mothers caring for their infants in war conditions.
Highlights
IntroductionSocietal emphasis on the two basic human needs of autonomy (i.e., individualism) and relatedness (i.e., collectivism) (Kagitcibasi 2005; Keller 2007) guide parents’ and other caregivers’ ideas about optimal caregiving and child development
16–20 21–30 31–40 41–46 Number of children Expecting the first child 1–3 4–6 7–11 Length of marriage 20 Education No formal education Elementary school Secondary school High school University or polytechnic college Other Job status Working outside the home Home taking care of the children Student Unemployed or other Economic situation: sufficiency of money Enough money Not enough money to cover expenses Economic situation: Difficulty to pay bills No or some Very or extremely Infant-related information Child sex Girl Boy Gestational age
The results further showed that maternal prenatal mental health, as indicated by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms, did not associate with either parenting ethnotheories or parental socialization goals
Summary
Societal emphasis on the two basic human needs of autonomy (i.e., individualism) and relatedness (i.e., collectivism) (Kagitcibasi 2005; Keller 2007) guide parents’ and other caregivers’ ideas about optimal caregiving and child development. With emphasis on close bodily contact and anticipatory responses to infants’ need expressions are, in turn, typical of relatedness-oriented caregiving. Socialization goals are another type of parenting belief, consisting of the central and culturally valued child characteristics that parents promote in child development. Autonomy-enhancing socialization goals, such as emphasizing children’s own will and the expression of both positive and negative emotions, are characteristic among educated middle-class parents and nuclear families living in urban contexts.
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