title: Maternal parenting stress and mothers' reports of their infants' mastery motivation.
abstract: 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.
authors: School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
authors: Tierney A
authors: TA
authors: Sparks
authors: Sharon K
authors: SK
authors: Hunter
authors: Toni L
authors: TL
authors: Backman
authors: George A
authors: GA
authors: Morgan
authors: Randal G
authors: RG
authors: Ross
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires