Many parents use social media to seek knowledge about child development and parenting, but parents are an understudied population in social media research. In this study, we use a mixed-methods ...approach to examine mothers' experience of following three different types of Instagram profiles: InstaParents, i.e. influencers sharing their personal experiences with parenthood, professional profiles disseminating knowledge about parenting and child development, and a university-based profile disseminating knowledge about child socioemotional development. The participants were 270 mothers with children aged 0–6 years, who completed an online questionnaire regarding their experience and use of Instagram. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to examine associations between mothers' social comparison orientation and their experience of following the different types of profiles. Content analysis of mothers' responses to open-ended questions was used to examine how mothers were negatively affected and supported by the different profiles. Results showed that mothers with higher levels of social comparison orientation were more negatively affected by following all three types of profiles, but also more supported by following InstaParents. The content analysis suggested that mothers were negatively affected by InstaParents by making upward comparisons and supported by making horizontal comparisons. Mothers were supported by professional profiles, including the university-based profile, by improved knowledge, but these profiles could also lead to a decreased sense of parenting competence. Results inform professionals in relation to how to support mothers through content on Instagram and how to talk to mothers about their digital use and well-being.
•Social comparison orientation and mothers' experiences of Instagram were examined.•Mothers' experiences of different types of Instagram profiles were examined.•Mothers were supported by professional profiles by improved knowledge.•Mothers were supported by InstaParents by an experience of a community.•Instagram profiles could also lead to a decreased sense of parenting competence.
Adverse childhood experiences can have far‐reaching implications for later mental health, including in parenthood. Research suggests that childhood adversity is a risk factor for later parenting ...stress, yet the underlying mechanisms are only just being uncovered. Uncovering these mechanisms is important to diminish heightened levels of parenting stress and thereby reduce adverse effects of elevated parenting stress on child and parent outcomes. In a cross‐sectional study using a sample of mothers of 2–10 month‐old infants (N = 367) we first examined depressive symptoms as a mediator, and then, the indirect effect of adult attachment through depressive symptoms between childhood adversity and parenting stress. Results showed that the effect of childhood adversity on parenting stress was mediated by an indirect pathway through depressive symptoms alone, and an indirect pathway of adult attachment through depressive symptoms. The indirect effect of adult attachment through depressive symptoms was found to be stronger than the indirect effect of depressive symptoms alone, supporting the hypothesis that adult attachment insecurity together with depressive symptoms are particularly important risk factors to be considered in this relationship. Results suggest that childhood adversity is a risk factor for parenting stress, and not a determinant of later parenting stress per se. Instead, mediators in this association, adult attachment, and depressive symptoms, were identified as potential targets of intervention to prevent negative effects of childhood adversity on parenting stress. A limitation of the study lies in its cross‐sectional design. Future studies should examine these associations longitudinally to allow for interpretation of causality.
Mind-mindedness (MM) refers to the parent's ability to treat the child as an individual with a mind of his or her own. Studies have found representational and interactional MM to predict child ...development, but more research is needed on the validity of representational MM in parents of infants. Therefore, we examine the reliability and validity of representational MM in 46 mothers of infants. Representational MM was measured at 4 and 11 months, and interactional MM at 11 months. The results supported the reliability of representational MM by showing a moderate rank-order stability over a 7-month-period, although the stability was due to associations between representational MM and maternal age. The results also supported the validity of representational MM by showing concurrent and longitudinal associations between representational and interactional MM. Finally, the results suggested that the capacity for appropriate mind-related comments is more stable than the tendency to use non-attuned mind-related comments.
Infant mental health represents a significant public health issue. The transition to parenthood provides optimal opportunities for supporting parenting competence. Especially parental mentalization, ...i.e. the caregiver's ability to notice and interpret the child's behavior in terms of mental states, is important in infancy where the caregiver-infant communication is based solely on the infant's behavioral cues. This study evaluates the efficacy of the intervention Understanding Your Baby (UYB) compared to Care As Usual (CAU) in 10 Danish municipalities. UYB aims at promoting parental competence in new parents by supporting them in noticing their infants' behavioral cues and interpreting them in terms of mental states. Participants will be approximately 1,130 singletons and their parents. Inclusion criteria are first-time parents, minimum 18 years old, living in one of the 10 municipalities, and registered in the Danish Civil Registration Register (CPR). Around 230 health visitors deliver the UYB as part of their routine observation of infant social withdrawal in the Danish home visiting program. During an interaction between the health visitor and the infant, the health visitor articulates specific infant behaviors and helps the caregivers interpret these behaviors to mental states. The study is a controlled parallel group study with data obtained at four time points in two phases: First in the control group receiving the publicly available postnatal care (CAU), secondly in the intervention group after UYB implementation into the existing postnatal services. The primary outcome is maternal competence. Secondary measures include paternal competence, parental stress, parental mentalizing, and infant socioemotional development. Analysis will employ survey data and data from the health visitors' register. Trial registrationhttps://ClinicalTrials.gov with ID no. NCT03991416. Registered at 19 June 2019--Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03991416
•The mean amount of screen time in infants aged 2–11 months was 6−17 min a day.•Technoference in mother-infant interactions happened, on average, 5–6 times a day.•Maternal educational level was ...negatively related to infant screen time.
This study aimed to examine longitudinal developmental patterns in the daily amounts of screen time and technoference in infants aged 2, 4, 7, and 11 months and to examine associations with maternal sociodemographic factors across all age groups.
The results showed that the amount of screen time varied between 6 and 17 min a day, while interruptions in mother-infant interactions due to maternal use of digital technology occurred between 5 and 6 times a day. There was a significant increase in infant screen time from 2 to 4 months, from 4–7 months, and from 7–11 months, and in technoference from 2 to 4 months and from 4–7 months. Maternal age and household income were not associated with infant screen time, but maternal educational level was negatively associated with infant screen time throughout the first year. No associations were found between technoference and maternal age, maternal educational level, or household income.
Future research focusing on infant screen time and technoference should aim at including samples that reflect the general population, include measures of screen time and technoference that do not rely on parental report, and include measures of the effects of early infant screen time and technoference on later development.
