Who mothers mommy?

Public Release: 29-Oct-2015
Who mothers mommy?
New research shows the critical role relationships have in keeping a mother happy, healthy and able to give of herself
Arizona State University

Mothers play the essential role in bringing newborns into the world and then spend years supporting and rearing their children. Tending to their children's needs is a tireless task that knows no schedules or time limits, but mothers dutifully do it for their family and society.

But where does mom draw her strength during her decades long involvement with her children? What factors bear the biggest impact on keeping a mother psychologically healthy enough to tend to her children? Two Arizona State University researchers say unconditional acceptance by friends and authenticity in relationships play essential roles in keeping mom happy herself, and thus grounded in her tasks with child rearing and development.

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Factors that contribute to mothers' well-being," published in the early on line issue of Developmental Psychology, Luthar and Ciciolla, said that four factors (out of seven total) stood out as main contributors to helping mom's equanimity of spirit and keeping distress at bay. They are unconditional acceptance, feeling comforted when needed, authenticity in relationships and friendship satisfaction.

The authors reported that being married, per se, was not related to mothers' psychological well-being; more significant was the quality of the marriage. And even when women were satisfied with their partners, there were powerful effects for the quality of women's relationships.

"Relationships with spouses are important but clearly not determinative to a mother's well being," Luthar said. "Our findings show the strong potential protective power of other close relationships - satisfaction with the frequency of visiting with friends had significant unique associations with all seven adjustment outcomes."

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