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Prenatal assessment for childhood discipline experiences
K F Gaffney1, P Holley-Wilcox, G Jones
1George Mason University, College of Nursing and Health Science, Fairfax, VA, USA. KGAFFNEY@gmu.edu
Purpose:
To explore relationships between pregnant women's childhood experiences with discipline and 1) prenatal plans for disciplining own child and 2) later maternal-infant interactions
Design:
Prospective correlation study.
Setting:
Prenatal clinics and home visits
Participants:
Low-income pregnant women (N = 205) with a mean educational level of 12 years
Main Outcome Measures:
Adapted Ways of Handling Irritating Behaviors (Mother and You) Scales, NCAST Teaching Scale, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Scale
Results:
Correlations between childhood experiences with discipline and 1) plans for later discipline strategies with own child and 2) infant components of maternal-infant interactions, including clarity of cues and responsiveness to the mother
Conclusions:
Prenatal assessment for childhood experiences with discipline may uncover factors associated with a break in the trajectory for optimal maternal-child interactions described by Barnard's theoretical framework.