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The transition to parenthood for late-timing mothers: The process of maternal adjustment
Abstract
Despite the continuing trend to delay parenthood in contemporary society, research about late-timing parenthood has been extremely limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the process of maternal adjustment for a sample of late-timing primiparous mothers. This developmentally rooted short-term longitudinal study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. Twenty mothers, all of whom were twenty-nine years of age and older, were interviewed during the eighth month of pregnancy and again at two months postpartum. Measures of social support were administered in the prenatal period, and again in the postnatal period, along with measures of maternal self-esteem and infant temperament. Observations of mother-infant interaction and the home environment were done at two months. Qualitative data were used to develop "personal profiles". The data show that the late-timing mothers adjusted well to new parenthood. They had positive prenatal attitudes about motherhood and demonstrated average or higher levels of maternal self-esteem. They were satisfied with the support they received, and did not feel isolated. They found their infants adaptable and unpredictable, but not difficult or dull. They were sensitive and responsive to the needs of their infants. Results also show that maternal adjustment was influenced over time by prenatal attitudes about motherhood, infant temperament, maternal self-esteem, and the quality of the caregiving environment provided by the mother. The personal psychological resources of the mother and the temperament of the infant were most influential in determining the quality of maternal adjustment and the developing mother-infant relationship. Qualitative results show that maternal adjustment, for some, was also influenced by sources of support and stress. Late-timing motherhood was seen as a desirable life-course choice by most of the late-timing mothers.
Subject Area
Developmental psychology|Preschool education
Recommended Citation
McMahon, Georgia Geist, "The transition to parenthood for late-timing mothers: The process of maternal adjustment" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9233107.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9233107