Additional Funding Sources

This research was supported by Boise State University.

Presentation Date

7-2021

Abstract

This study, including 60 primiparous mothers, analyzed whether personality traits predicted post-partum parenting stress and maternal self-efficacy.

The Big Five Inventory measured personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience (John & Srivastava, 1999) prenatally. The Parental Efficacy Questionnaire (Leerkes and Crockenberg, 2003) assessed maternal self-efficacy at 3 and 6 months, and total scores were averaged across timepoints. Two subscales of the Abindin Parenting Stress Index analyzed stress and maladaptive parenting. Role restriction aimed to detect lifestyle barriers resulting from parenthood, and sense of competence aimed to detect parenting ignorance and dysfunction (Piskernik et al., 2019). Subscale scores were averaged across 3- and 6-month timepoints.

Regression results found a positive relationship between conscientiousness and self-efficacy and between neuroticism and parenting stress. Trend results suggested a relationship between agreeableness and self-efficacy and between conscientiousness and lower parenting stress. Results of this research suggest personality may contribute to parents’ well-being and sense of efficacy during the transition to parenthood. Particularly, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness seem to be important factors to consider in understanding parents’ adjustment to their new role. Practitioners working with new mothers may benefit from understanding the role that personality factors may play in mothers’ well-being post-partum.

Share

COinS
 

Big Five Personality Traits Predict Parenting Stress and Maternal Self-Efficacy

This study, including 60 primiparous mothers, analyzed whether personality traits predicted post-partum parenting stress and maternal self-efficacy.

The Big Five Inventory measured personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience (John & Srivastava, 1999) prenatally. The Parental Efficacy Questionnaire (Leerkes and Crockenberg, 2003) assessed maternal self-efficacy at 3 and 6 months, and total scores were averaged across timepoints. Two subscales of the Abindin Parenting Stress Index analyzed stress and maladaptive parenting. Role restriction aimed to detect lifestyle barriers resulting from parenthood, and sense of competence aimed to detect parenting ignorance and dysfunction (Piskernik et al., 2019). Subscale scores were averaged across 3- and 6-month timepoints.

Regression results found a positive relationship between conscientiousness and self-efficacy and between neuroticism and parenting stress. Trend results suggested a relationship between agreeableness and self-efficacy and between conscientiousness and lower parenting stress. Results of this research suggest personality may contribute to parents’ well-being and sense of efficacy during the transition to parenthood. Particularly, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness seem to be important factors to consider in understanding parents’ adjustment to their new role. Practitioners working with new mothers may benefit from understanding the role that personality factors may play in mothers’ well-being post-partum.

 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.