Maternal chronological age, prenatal and perinatal history, social support, and parenting of infants.
The role of maternal chronological age in prenatal and perinatal history, social support, and parenting practices of new mothers (N=335) was examined. Primiparas of 5-month-old infants ranged in age from 13 to 42 years. Age effects were zero, linear, and nonlinear. Nonlinear age effects were significantly associated up to a certain age with little or no association afterward; by spline regression, estimated points at which the slope of the regression line changed were 25 years for prenatal and perinatal history, 31 years for social supports, and 27 years for parenting practices. Given the expanding age range of first-time parents, these findings underscore the importance of incorporating maternal age as a factor in studies of parenting and child development.
Bornstein
Marc H
MH
Child and Family Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-7971, USA. Marc_C_Bornstein@nih.gov
Putnick
Diane L
DL
Suwalsky
Joan T D
JT
Gini
Motti
M
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014705:Verbal Behavior