Abstract
Although there is a growing body of literature examining the positive aspects of being a parent, very few studies have considered the highlights mothers experience in parenting their infants. In particular, neither mothers’ own perceptions of the highlights of parenting infants nor the factors that increase the odds of mothers experiencing these highlights have been identified within a representative, contemporary sample. To address this gap, the current study used mixed methods to explore the highlights reported by New Zealand mothers of infants in a large (N = 6383), demographically diverse cohort taking part in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study. Our sample included primiparous (42%) and multiparous (58%) mothers aged 15–47 years, of European (55%), Māori (13%), Pacific Peoples (14%), Asian (15%), Middle Eastern, Latin American or African (2%), and New Zealand (1%) ethnicities. We used thematic analysis to identify eight broad highlights that fitted within the PERMA™ model of wellbeing, and then identified the variables that make it more likely for mothers to experience these highlights using logistic regression. We found that parity, ethnicity, parental satisfaction, external support, family support, maternal education, and the child exceeding the mother’s expectations for social development were each predictive of at least one highlight, with parity and ethnicity being the two strongest predictors. Overall, our study helps to highlight the positive aspects of parenting infants and identifies some of the factors that may help to promote a positive response to parenthood, and ultimately lead to greater maternal wellbeing.
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24 February 2021
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0050-1
Notes
Post-secondary school qualifications below bachelor degree level.
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Acknowledgements
Growing Up in New Zealand has been funded by the New Zealand Ministries of Social Development, Health, Education, Justice and Pacific Island Affairs; the former Ministry of Science Innovation and the former Department of Labour (now both part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment); the former Ministry of Women’s Affairs (now the Ministry for Women); the Department of Corrections; the Families Commission (now known as the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit); Te Puni Kokiri; New Zealand Police; Sport New Zealand; the Housing New Zealand Corporation; and the former Mental Health Commission, The University of Auckland and Auckland UniServices Limited. Other support for the study has been provided by the NZ Health Research Council, Statistics New Zealand, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Office of Ethnic Affairs. The study has been designed and conducted by the Growing Up in New Zealand study team, led by the University of Auckland. The authors acknowledge the contributions of the original study investigators: Susan M.B. Morton, Polly E. Atatoa Carr, Cameron C. Grant, Arier C. Lee, Dinusha K. Bandara, Jatender Mohal, Jennifer M. Kinloch, Johanna M. Schmidt, Mary R. Hedges, Vivienne C. Ivory, Te Kani R. Kingi, Renee Liang, Lana M. Perese, Elizabeth Peterson, Jan E. Pryor, Elaine Reese, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Karen E. Waldie, Clare R. Wall. The views reported in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Growing Up in New Zealand Investigators.
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The original version of this article was revised: The likelihood ratios for the regression in tables 6-11 were incorrect.
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Corkin, M.T., Dando, E., Peterson, E.R. et al. “The way she smiles brightens me up”: Highlights of parenting an infant in a large Nationally diverse cohort. Curr Psychol 40, 919–938 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0014-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0014-5