Poster #94 - The Interaction of Parenting Self-Efficacy and Emerging Adulthood on Parenting Satisfaction Among First-Time Parents

• In Event: Poster Session 01

Abstract

Parent-child relationships have profound effects on the development of both individuals. Prior research on parenting self-efficacy (PSE) has identified its relations with several aspects of the parenting experience including parenting satisfaction (Hudson, et al., 2001), parental competence (Teti & Gelfand, 1991), and psychological functioning (Jones & Prinz, 2005). Emerging adulthood marks the transition from youth to adulthood during the third decade of life and is characterized by the development of autonomy, identity, and life skills (Reifman et al., 2007). Given that many individuals become parents during this period, adjustment to adulthood may interact with adjustment to parenthood. By comparing new parents at various stages of emerging adulthood, we examined the moderating effect of emerging adulthood on the association between PSE and parenting satisfaction.

We recruited 182 different-sex first-time-parent couples. Most parents identified as White (>85%) and were approximately 30 years old (AgeMOTHER = 29.02, AgeFATHER = 31.22). Data collection started in the third trimester and continued at three, six, and nine months postpartum. Mothers and fathers completed measures of PSE (Teti & Gelfand, 1991), emerging adulthood (Reifman et al., 2007), and parenting satisfaction (Pistrang, 1984). Emerging adulthood covered six dimensions: Feeling In-Between, Identity Exploration, Experimentation/Possibilities, Negativity/Instability, Other-Focused, and Self-Focused (Reifman et al., 2007).

We conducted multilevel random intercept regression models to examine the within- and between-person effects of PSE on parenting satisfaction over time. Changes in dimensions of emerging adulthood from the third trimester to nine months postpartum were the moderators. Simple multilevel models indicated that PSE significantly predicted parenting satisfaction in mothers (β = .45, p < .001) and fathers (β = .33, p < .001). When moderators were added, two interaction effects emerged.

In mothers, there was a significant positive effect of within-person PSE (β = .31, p < .001) and a positive interaction effect between within-person PSE and Identity Exploration (β = .36, p = .041) on parenting satisfaction. The positive association between mothers’ PSE and parenting satisfaction was strengthened when mothers increased in Identity Exploration (Figure 1).

In fathers, the interaction of within-person PSE and Experimentation/Possibilities significantly predicted parenting satisfaction (β = -.33, p = .036), although there were no significant main effects except between-person PSE (β = .70, p < .001). As fathers’ PSE increased, so did fathers’ parenting satisfaction, but only for fathers whose Experimentation/Possibilities either decreased or remained unchanged. For fathers who experienced increases in Experimentation/Possibilities, there was no association between PSE and parenting satisfaction (Figure 2).

This study makes a novel contribution to the fields of parenting and emerging adulthood. We demonstrated that the moderating effect of emerging adulthood differed by parent gender, as increasing Identity Exploration had a beneficial impact for mothers while increasing Experimentation/Possibilities appeared detrimental for new fathers’ adjustment to parenthood. The negative implications of Experimentation/Possibilities for fathers’ satisfaction parallels past research suggesting that fatherhood is less well-defined than motherhood, as fathers are more variable in their parental involvement than mothers (Cabrera et al., 2000). Future research should further isolate specific dimensions of emerging adulthood critical to parenthood.

Authors

• Noah Reardon, Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Julianna Rose Calabrese, Ohio State University

• Sarah Jane Schoppe-Sullivan, Ohio State University