Linking transition to motherhood to parenting, children's emotion regulation, and life satisfaction : A longitudinal study

Abstract

Previous research mostly focused on early parenting stress or postpartum symptoms of mental illness whereas the topic of a successful transition to motherhood and its long-term effects on parenting and child well-being remained more or less neglected. The present longitudinal study investigated whether a successful transition to motherhood influences emotionally warm parenting behavior, children’s emotion regulation, and subjective life satisfaction. A successful transition to motherhood is feeling satisfied, self-efficient, and energetic in the maternal role during the first year after birth. Survey data from a large, nationally representative panel study with four measurement points across 11 years were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). T1 corresponds to child’s first year of life, at T2 children were around 3, at T3 the children were around 8, and at T4 children were around 12 years old. The study sample comprised 322 mother–child dyads. Mothers completed questionnaires to assess their early transition to motherhood (T1), children’s emotion regulation (T1 and T2), and maternal warmth (T3). At age 12 (T4), children self-reported their life satisfaction. Results confirmed that a successful transition to motherhood had positive, long-term effects on maternal warmth and children’s emotion regulation. Moreover, adapting optimally to motherhood had an indirect positive effect on children’s subjective life satisfaction at age 12. Life satisfaction was in turn positively affected by maternal warmth and children’s emotion regulation. The results highlight the importance of a successful transition to motherhood for parenting, children’s emotion regulation, and life satisfaction.