Maternal parenting stress and mothers’ reports of their infants’ mastery motivation

• DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2011.07.002
• Publication Date: 2011-09-07T07:04:29Z
• Authors: Tierney A. Sparks; Sharon K. Hunter; Toni L. Backman; George A. Morgan; Randal G. Ross
• Keywords: Male; Motivation; 05 social sciences; Infant; Mother-Child Relations; Surveys and Questionnaires; Infant Behavior; Humans; Female; Longitudinal Studies; Prospective Studies; Self Report; Maternal Behavior; 0503 education; Stress, Psychological

Mastery motivation is a psychological force that stimulates an individual to attempt to master a task that is challenging to him or her. This prospective longitudinal study examined the relationship between maternal stress, using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, and infant mastery motivation, using the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire, for 150 mother-infant pairs assessed at both 6- and 18-months of age. Infants of mothers with elevated stress levels at 6 months tended to show lower mastery motivation at 18 months (standardized beta=-.46, p=.001). Conversely, infants with lower general competence (standardized beta=-.24, p=.021) and lower persistence during social interactions with other children (standardized beta=-.18, p=.037) at 6 months of age had mothers with elevated total stress at 18 months of age. Implications for programs which simultaneously intervene with child and mother are discussed.