Trajectories Of Mothers Research Articles

Change patterns of mother-adolescent perceived parenting and the corresponding trajectories in their internalizing symptoms.

Adolescence is a challenging and sensitive developmental period in which mothers and adolescents may be vulnerable to internalizing symptoms. The current study aimed to understand how patterns of changes in mother-adolescent perceived parenting (i.e., mother-adolescent perceived parenting transition profiles) corresponded with trajectories of mothers' and adolescents' internalizing symptoms from early to late adolescence. The current study utilized a three-wave longitudinal data set of 604 adolescents (54% female, Mage = 12.92, SD = 0.92) and 595 mothers (Mage = 38.89, SD = 5.74) from Mexican-origin immigrant families and adopted mother-adolescent perceived parenting transition profiles from a previous study. Multiple group analyses showed that mother-adolescent dyads who agreed on high levels of positive parenting across the course of adolescence (i.e., Stable Both High) experienced the lowest levels of internalizing symptoms, whereas dyads that showed an inconsistent pattern of mixed profile typologies over time (i.e., Fluctuated) experienced high levels of internalizing symptoms. For mother-adolescent dyads that consistently showed a pattern in which mothers reported more positive parenting compared to their adolescent children (i.e., Stable Mother High), mothers experienced low levels of (and even a decrease in) internalizing symptoms, while adolescents experienced considerably high levels of internalizing symptoms over time. The results for the other two parenting transition profiles (i.e., Change to Both High and Change from Both High) are also discussed. The findings highlight the importance of developing separate adaptive interventions to reduce internalizing symptoms for mothers and children by considering their change patterns of perceived parenting during the course of adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories of Mothers' Perceived Marital Conflict and its Relationship to Depression and Children' School Readiness, Self-esteem, and Happiness

Trajectories of Mothers' Perceived Marital Conflict and its Relationship to Depression and Children' School Readiness, Self-esteem, and Happiness

“Mãe é quem cuida": a legitimidade da maternidade no discurso de mães de bebês com microcefalia em Pernambuco

A pesquisa iniciou após o grande índice de bebês nascidos com microcefalia ocasionada pelo vírus do Zika transmitido pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti, tendo como epicentro a região do Nordeste do país. A epidemia mexeu com a dinâmica de várias esferas da vida social, como políticas, socioambientais, econômicas e religiosas. Mulheres, mães de bebês com microcefalia, em Pernambuco, têm se organizado em movimentos como a “União de Mães de Anjos” (UMA), construindo redes de apoio e solidariedade, compartilhando experiências sobre o cuidado com os “anjos” ou “crianças especiais” (como denominam seus filhos), além de reivindicarem, numa linguagem de direitos, auxílios junto ao Estado e a órgãos competentes. Neste sentido, esta análise é baseada em trabalho etnográfico feito nos encontros da UMA entre fevereiro e dezembro de 2016. Partindo de três trajetórias de vida de mães de crianças diagnosticadas com o que hoje se denomina no campo biomédico como “Síndrome Congênita do Zika vírus” (SCZv), busco compreender as representações em torno da experiência da maternidade, a fim de apreender as produções de significados e as concepções sobre as relações de parentesco.

Reciprocal Relations between the Trajectories of Mothers' Harsh Discipline, Responsiveness and Aggression in Early Childhood.

Theoretical advances in the study of the development of aggressive behaviors indicate that parenting behaviors and child aggression mutually influence one another. This study contributes to the body of empirical research in this area by examining the development of child aggression, maternal responsiveness, and maternal harsh discipline, using 5-year longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of Turkish children (n=1009; 469 girls and 582 boys). Results indicated that: (i) maternal responsiveness and harsh discipline at age 3 were associated with the subsequent linear trajectory of aggression; (ii) reciprocally, aggressive behaviors at age 3 were associated with the subsequent linear trajectories of these two types of parenting behaviors; (iii) deviations from the linear trajectories of the child and mother behaviors tended to be short lived; and, (iv) the deviations of child behaviors from the linear trajectories were associated with the subsequent changes in mother behaviors after age 5. These findings are discussed in the cultural context of this study.

Trajectories of mothers’ emotional availability: relations with infant temperament in predicting attachment security

ABSTRACTThe present study examined observations of parenting quality (mothers’ emotional availability – EA) during infant bedtimes at 4 points across the infants’ first year, assessing relations between levels and trajectories of EA and infant attachment at 12 months and the role of infant temperament in moderating these associations. The sample (N = 128) was predominantly Euro-American (82.5%) and at low socioeconomic risk. Latent growth curve modeling with latent basis coefficients indicated substantial individual differences in initial levels and slopes in EA trajectories across the first year. Both levels of maternal EA and EA trajectories across the first year predicted 12-month infant attachment security. Although maternal EA tended to decrease across the first year in the full sample, EA trajectories that showed a “bounce-back” between 6 and 12 months, suggesting more successful maternal adaptation to an expanding infant developmental repertoire, predicted greater infant security at 12 months. In addition, linkages between latent EA trajectories and 12-month attachment were moderated by 3-month infant temperamental reactivity and regulation. These findings indicate that infant attachment security is sensitive to both static and dynamic aspects of parenting quality across the first year, and that infant temperament can interact with both in predicting infant attachment.

Mothers of children with autistic disorder: perceptions and trajectories

Childhood autism is characterized by severe and global impairment in several areas of human development and demands extensive care and dependence on the parents. The objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of mothers of children with autism regarding changes suffered by the child and their trajectories in search of an autism diagnosis. This is an exploratory descriptive study with a qualitative approach conducted with ten participant mothers. Data were collected in 2013 by means of semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis produced the following categories: perceptions of mothers as to changes in behaviour and/or development of their children; and trajectories of mothers in search of a diagnosis for their children. After the perception of changes in behaviour/development, mothers face an arduous trajectory of healthcare service utilization.

Risk factors associated with trajectories of mothers’ depressive symptoms across the early parenting period: an Australian population-based longitudinal study

Approximately 14% of women experience depressive symptoms in the first postnatal year. Few studies have examined the persistence of symptoms beyond this time. This study aims to (a) assess the course of women's depressive symptoms from the first postnatal year to when their children were aged 6-7years, (b) identify distinct groups of women defined by their symptom trajectories over time, and (c) identify antenatal and early postnatal risk factors associated with persistent symptoms. Data from 4,879 women participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were analysed using latent growth modelling and logistic regression to identify risk factors associated with class membership. For the overall sample, depressive symptoms were highest during the first postnatal year and then gradually decreased over 6-7years. Two distinct classes were identified with the majority of women (84%) reporting minimal symptoms over time, and 16% experiencing persistently high symptoms. Risk factors were younger maternal age, being from a non-English speaking background, not completing high school, having a past history of depression, antidepressant use during pregnancy, child development problems, lower parenting self-efficacy, poor relationship quality, and stressful life events. This research identifies risk factors that may predispose mothers to enduring depressive symptoms, offering opportunities for early identification and targeted early intervention.

Trajectories of Mothers' Discipline Strategies and Interparental Conflict: Interrelated Change during Middle Childhood

Using data collected annually when children were in kindergarten through 3rd grade (N = 478), this study investigated changes in mothers’ use of nonharsh, harsh verbal, and physical discipline; changes in interparental conflict; and associations between changes in discipline and interparental conflict. Controlling for potential confounds, physical discipline decreased over the course of middle childhood, whereas harsh verbal and nonharsh discipline remained stable. Increases in interparental conflict were associated with increases in physical discipline; decreases in interparental conflict were associated with decreases in physical discipline. Change in interparental conflict was unrelated to change in harsh verbal or nonharsh discipline, although more frequent interparental conflict was associated with more frequent use of all three types of discipline in 1st grade. Findings extend previous research on how two major forms of communication within families—conflict between parents and parents’ attempts to influence their children through discipline—change across middle childhood.

Mothers' and Children's Positive Emotion: Relations and Trajectories across Four Years

The goals of this study were to examine the relations between and trajectories of mothers' and children's social positive expressivity. Mothers' and children's positive expressivity (PE) were observed annually for 4 years beginning when children were approximately 18 months old (n = 247; 110 girls). Based on correlations, there was evidence of rank-order stability in children's and mothers' PE. Based on growth curve analyses, mothers' and children's PE followed curvilinear trajectories; thus, mean-level instability was found. Children's PE during a free-play interaction with their mothers increased then decreased slightly whereas mothers' affect during the same task decreased then stabilized. Children's PE during a joy-inducing situation (i.e., bubbles) with an experimenter slightly decreased and then increased. In panel models, there was no evidence of prediction over time across children's and mothers' PE when taking stability into account. These unique trajectories and relations provide insight into the developmental pattern of young children's and their mothers' PE elicited within social contexts.

Longitudinal Perceptions of Supportiveness from Biological Fathers and Maternal Mental Health Problems

Focuses on trajectories of mothers' perceived supportiveness from a biological child’s father and mental health problems five years after the birth.

Social support from family and friends as a buffer of low spousal support among mothers of critically ill children: A multilevel modeling approach.

To investigate whether social support from family and friends (family/friend support) attenuated ("buffered") adverse effects of having low spouse support (spousal support) among mothers of children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). One hundred sixty-three married mothers who were their child's primary caregiver during treatment completed assessments during the child's hospitalization for HSCT and 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-HSCT. Family/friend support and spousal support were assessed during hospitalization. Maternal physical and mental health-related functioning (the main outcome measures) were assessed at all timepoints. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze trajectories of maternal functioning. Findings indicated that mothers with low spousal support and low family/friend support demonstrated the worst functioning across all timepoints. Mothers with low spousal support and high family/friend support demonstrated significantly better functioning, supporting the hypothesized buffering effect. Their functioning compared to the functioning of mothers with high spousal support. Moreover, mothers with high family/friend support demonstrated trajectories of physical health-related functioning that were more stable than the trajectories of mothers with low family/friend support. These findings have clinical implications in addition to advancing knowledge of social support processes among couples coping with the shared stressor of a child's life-threatening illness and treatment.