Maternal self-efficacy and emotional well-being in Chilean adolescent mothers: the relationship with their children's social-emotional development

Abstract

Background: Low maternal self-efficacy and high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress can be triggered in adolescent mothers because they have not completed their development process, thus they would not be physically or psychologically prepared to take on maternity responsibilities. Those factors can be related to children's socioemotional development problems. The present study aims to: a) analyze the relationship between maternal self-efficacy and the levels of stress and depressive and anxious symptoms, in adolescent mothers; b) examine the relationship between maternal self-efficacy and well-being and children's socioemotional development; and c) describe the effects of maternal self-efficacy mediated of maternal well-being on children's socioemotional development. Methods: A sample of 79 dyads of Chilean adolescent mothers and their children aged 10 to 24 months participated in this research. A set of psychometric scales were used to measure maternal self-efficacy (EEP), mother's anxiety and depression (HADS), maternal stress (PSS), and children's socioemotional development (ASQ-SE). Bivariate analyses as well as mediation models were employed to estimate and test the relevant relationships. Results: A bivariate analysis showed that maternal self-efficacy was negatively related to mother's anxiety, depression, and stress. Moreover, there is a significant relationship between maternal self-efficacy and maternal stress, and children's self-regulation and socioemotional development. The effect of maternal self-efficacy on children's self-regulation development mediated of mother's anxiety, mother's depression and maternal stress scores was significant. Conclusions: Those results confirm the importance of the adolescent mothers' emotional well-being regarding their relationship on the socioemotional development of their children. The preceding is necessary to have detailed information about how emotional and self-perception status influences mother's role in the development of her children.