Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

 

Maternal Play Behaviors and Stress Response within a State-Based Parenting Education Program Public Deposited

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/dn39x397n

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  • The quality of parenting, in particular mother-child interactions, is important for children’s development. Sensitive and responsive interactions between the mother and child are linked to children’s language, emotion and behavioral regulation, brain development, and activity in the stress response system (NSCDC, 2007; Mintz et al., 2011, Gunnar & Quevedo, 2007). For mothers, low-quality parenting may be linked to high levels of cortisol, higher depression and anxiety. Parenting classes are an important instrument for parents as they have been shown to increase positive parenting practices such as positive communication, parent-child interactions, and rule-making/discipline strategies (Arkan et al., 2013; Borden et al., 2010; Reid et al., 2002. These classes have also been shown to decrease mother’s negative health behaviors such as anxiety, stress, and depression (Garner, 2006; Hutchings et al., 2007; Marcynyszyn et al., 2010). The aim of the current study is to see if participation in an Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) parent education series is associated with changes in characteristics of maternal behaviors and maternal stress reactivity. Twenty mothers and their children were recruited from the OPEC parenting education classes. Data was collected at two time points, the second and final week of the parenting series. During each session, mother and child participated in a videotaped play task, which included a challenging clean-up task (child asked to sort and pick up complex toys before playing) and a free play task. The mother also gave two saliva samples, one before the task began and thirty minutes after the task was completed, to observe changes in cortisol levels. The clean-up and free play task were coded using 3 scales from an adapted version of the Early Head Start 24-Month 3-Bag Scales. Characteristics of mother behaviors were rated on a 5 point Likert scale. T-test were executed in order to test changes in behavior and cortisol. Analysis showed that most characteristics of maternal behaviors (i.e. maternal sensitivity and detachment) and maternal cortisol did not change as a result of participation in the parenting education series. Maternal stimulating environment (p = 0.06) did provide some evidence that this behavior may change. Further investigation needs to be conducted in order to understand how family characteristics may explain differences in mother behavior. This study furthers our understanding of how parenting classes may be beneficial to at-risk mothers and their children. Parenting education has been shown to positively influence a variety of characteristics of maternal behaviors (Gross et al., 2003; Homem et al., 2015; Webster-Stratton, 1998) and well-being (Hutchings et al., 2011; Marcynyszyn et al., 2010). By examining these maternal characteristics, it provides greater knowledge of how maternal participation within parenting education can impact maternal and child well-being.
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