Abstract
Parenting knowledge affects parenting practices and child development, yet more information is needed about “where” parents of infants turn for information and “why” they choose these sources. Using a mixed-methods approach, the authors captured and analyzed the cited resources that 38 parents turn to when seeking information about parenting. The present study utilized an innovative interview design which invited parents to consider and compare the people, places, and tools (“where”) they turn for support and their relative preference for each by thinking of their resources within “Circles of Support”. Parents were also asked to provide insight into “why” they make these choices. The Survey of Parental Expectations and Knowledge (SPEAK) was used as a measure of parenting knowledge. Descriptive information about parents (years of education and parenting knowledge) were also considered in relation to stated preferences for resource categories. Findings indicated that “informal” sources of information, such as family and friends, are commonly sought out with parent education level being significantly correlated with some resource categories (i.e., books, professionals). As to why they choose certain resources, parents prioritized “relational” and “informational” reasons, over “personal” reasons. Implications for avenues to provide parents with parenting knowledge and information are discussed.
Highlights
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Parents demonstrated a strong preference for family members as a source of support.
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Parents with higher levels of formal education showed increased preference for professional sources and books.
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Findings from the inductive thematic analysis of interviews indicated that overall, parents prioritized “relational” reasons, and “informational” reasons, over “personal” reasons for turning to specific resources.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the parents who participated in this study. We thank Gretchen Brion-Meisels for her mentorship in the interview and study design process. We thank Robert Selman, Xin Xiang, and Liu Jiang for their input on the thematic analysis.
Funding
The data collection was funded by a grant to Anonymized from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Grant/Award Number: R21HD078771).
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J.M. conceived of and designed the interview used in M.R.’s study. J.M. collaborated with colleagues on the data analyses and led the writing of the manuscript. K.H. led the quantitative data analyses and writing. R.W. led the qualitative data analyses and writing. M.R. supervised the project and collaborated in the writing and final editing of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the final manuscript writing and revisions.
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The study protocol was approved by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research at Anonymized University (IRB14-2973).
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Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.
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McCatharn, J.M., Herbert, K.K., Wei, R. et al. Circles of Support: Exploring the ‘Where’ and ‘Why’ of Parents’ of Infants Information Seeking Behaviors. J Child Fam Stud 31, 2915–2928 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02124-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02124-w