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Infant temperament and child-rearing stress: birth order influences
Insights
Mothers of difficult infants report higher child-rearing stress. This stress is more explained by temperament in first-borns at 18 months, indicating a significant link between infant temperament and maternal stress.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Maternal Health
Background:
- Infant temperament is a key factor in early child development.
- Maternal stress can significantly impact parenting and child outcomes.
- Understanding the interplay between infant temperament and maternal stress is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between infant temperamental difficulty and maternal child-rearing stress.
- To explore how birth order influences this relationship.
- To identify the predictive power of temperament on maternal stress across different developmental stages.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 128 children.
- Temperament assessed using the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ) and Toddler Temperament Scale (TTS).
- Maternal child-rearing stress measured via self-report questionnaires at 6-7 and 18 months.
Main Results:
- Mothers of difficult children reported significantly higher child-rearing stress at 18 months.
- No significant differences in stress levels based on birth order were found at 6-7 or 18 months.
- Children's temperament explained the highest proportion of maternal stress for first-borns at 18 months.
Conclusions:
- Infant temperament, particularly difficulty, is associated with increased maternal child-rearing stress.
- The influence of temperament on maternal stress is more pronounced in first-born children by toddlerhood.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering infant temperament in supporting maternal well-being, especially for first-time mothers.
Abstract:
The relationship between an infant's temperamental difficulty and the mother's child-rearing stress was investigated in a sample of 128 children. Children's temperament was assessed by the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire (RITQ) at 6-7 months, and by the Toddler Temperament Scale (TTS) at 18 months. The mothers' child-rearing stress was assessed by a self-report questionnaire. At the children's age of 18 months, mothers of difficult children reported higher child-rearing stress than mothers of easy children. Although difference in the level of child-rearing stress reflecting birth order was not evident at either 6-7 months or 18 months, the proportion of child-rearing stress which could be explained by the children's temperament was highest for mothers of first-borns when their children were 18 months old.