Maternal Depression and Parenting Self-Efficacy: A Meta-Analytic Review Open Access

Abstract

Better understanding of the strength of the association between depression in mothers and their parenting self-efficacy beliefs has the potential to inform theory of how depression in mothers might be related to maladaptive parenting and to evaluate support for PSE as a potential target of preventative intervention for women with depression. This is important because both depression in mothers and the maladaptive parenting that characterizes many women with depression are associated with adverse outcomes in children. This meta-analytic review analyzed the results of the 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria, to address four goals: (1) to assess the magnitude of the relationship between maternal depression and parenting self-efficacy, (2) to test the support for several theory- and method-based potential moderating factors, (3) to integrate the two different literatures that have examined maternal depression and parenting self-efficacy (psychology and nursing) by examining their unique and overlapping features and testing discipline as a further potential moderator, and (4) to provide a roadmap for future research. Using a random effects model, the overall results indicated a medium effect size for the relation between maternal depression and parenting self-efficacy, r = -.34, 95% CI = -.40, -.26, p <. 001. Overall, there was significant and substantial heterogeneity among the effect sizes, Q(36) = 753.31, p <. 001, I² = 95.22%. Follow up analyses revealed two significant moderators: depression measure and parenting experience. Shortcomings of the literature pointed to the need for research to: (1) examine the directionality of the relationship between parenting self-efficacy and maternal depression with longitudinal and experimental designs, (2) address the limited knowledge of the stability of parenting self-efficacy, and (3) extend findings beyond the primary focus on infancy and early childhood to mothers of school-aged children and adolescents.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

I. Introduction …………………………………………………………..…..1

II. Methods…………………………………………………………….…....15

III. Results ………………………………………………………………......20

IV. Discussion ……………………………………………………………....23

V. References ……………………………………………………………...34

VI. Tables….……………………………………………………..……...….46

VII. Figures…………………………………………………………………..51

VIII. Appendix………………………………………………………………..52

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Degree	MA
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, General Health Sciences, Mental Health
Keyword	parenting self-efficacy meta-analysis maternal depression
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Goodman, Sherryl H, Emory University
Committee Members	McDowell, Jack J, Emory University Fivush, Robyn, Emory University

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