Maternal Stress as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Mothers’ Attitudes and Children’s Television Viewing

• In Event: Media and the Family

Abstract

This two-wave panel study among mothers (N = 508) of children between ages six months and six years investigated (1) the possibility of a reciprocal relationship between mothers’ attitudes toward television and children’s television viewing, and (2) the conditional probability of this reciprocal relationship. Two-wave multi-group cross-lagged analyses provided evidence for reciprocal patterns that depend on the level of maternal stress. The findings indicated that mothers’ attitudes toward television predicted children’s subsequent television viewing among non-stressed mothers, but not among stressed mothers. Children’s television viewing predicted mothers’ subsequent negative attitudes toward television among stressed mothers, but not among non-stressed mothers. Implications for the role of parents’ attitudes regarding children’s television viewing are discussed.

Authors

• Ine Beyens, U of Leuven - School for Mass Communication Research

• Steven Eggermont, U of Leuven - School for Mass Communication Research

• Amy Nathanson, Ohio State U