Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-tn8tq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-17T11:43:51.334Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

I love them but they’re driving me crazy : Stress in Mothers of Young Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Jillian Rodd*
Affiliation:
Institute of Education, School of Early Childhood Studies, University of Melbourne.

Extract

A recent study which investigated the relationship between a range of measures of psychological well-being and stress in a group of 109 Melbourne mothers (Rodd, 1992), unearthed some surprising but not unexpected findings. In fact, the research into maternal stress was initiated following many years of working with parents, running parent support and education programs and discussions with a range of professionals who provide services for families. The end result of the examination of this observational and anecdotal evidence pointed to the fact that mothers of young children are stressed - not just slightly or moderately stressed - but experiencing extreme levels of emotional stress in relation to their parenting role!

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bernard, M.E. & Joyce, M.R. (1984) Rational - Emotive Therapy with Children and Adolescents. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Eastman, M. (1983) Education for Family Life. A Survey of Available Programs and Their Evaluation. Occasional Paper No. 4. Melbourne: Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Goldsteen, K. & Ross, C.E. (1989) “The Perceived Burden of Children.” Journal of Family Issues, 10(4), pp.504526.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Brien, W. (1991) “Marking Parent Education Relevant to Vulnerable Families.” Children Australia, 16(2), pp.1925.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodd, J. (1992) “The Correlates of Psychological Wellbeing in Mothers of Children Under Five Years.” Proceedings of the Fifth Conference of the World Association for Infant Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. Chicago.Google Scholar
Scott, J. & Alwin, D.F. (1986) “Gender Differences in Parental Strain.” Journal of Family Issues, 10(4), pp.482504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terry, D.J. (1991) “Predictors of Subjective Stress in a Sample of New Parents.” Australian Journal of Psychology, 3(1), pp.2936.Google Scholar
Umberson, D. (1989) “Parenting and Wellbeing. The Importance of Context.” Journal of Family Issues, 10(4), pp. 427439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Umberson, D. & Gove, W.R. (1989) “Parenthood and Psychological Wellbeing : Theory, Measurement and Stage in Family Life Course.” Journal of Family Issues, 10(4), pp.440462.Google Scholar