Parenting: Predictors of Infant Mental Health and Intervention
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Date
2018-07
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Abstract
The effect of parenting on mental health of rural and urban infants of Dharwad taluk revealed a prevalence of an alarming percentage of infants ‘at risk for mental health’; with 22.5 per cent ‘at risk’ and 12 per cent who ‘needed monitoring’ in urban Dharwad, whereas in rural Dharwad, 23.95 per cent ‘needed monitoring’ and 21.87 per cent were ‘at risk’. Mental health of rural infants was significantly influenced by infant’s age, ordinal position, infant temperament, maternal parenting quality, positive co-parenting, maternal temperament and adult child ratio. The urban mothers were significantly high on parenting quality, marital satisfaction and positive co-parenting. Infant mental health and maternal parenting quality of rural mothers was significantly correlated with 77.8 per cent variation determined by these selected factors. The phenomenological approach and narrative analysis of in-depth interviews revealed the essence of parenting, mothering as unique experience, ‘fathering’ through the mother’s lens and efforts in shaping parenthood. The sample comprised of 80 each rural and urban mother-infant dyads with infants in the age group of 6-30 months; 20 mother-infant dyads drawn equally from the infant age cohorts of 6 – 12, 13-18, 19- 24 and 25 – 30 months. The infants were screened for mental health risk using standard measures and parenting was measured through the analysis of video recordings of the interactions (play and clean up activity) of mother-infant dyads in their natural settings for duration of 12 – 15 minutes; using observations and Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (2006). In-depth analysis was on a sub sample of 97 mother-infant dyads focusing infant/child and adult temperament, parenting stress, maternal marital satisfaction, co-parenting using standard measures and nutritional status of infants through anthropometry. Intervention on ‘sensitive parenting’ comprising of ten sessions (two hours each) was provided to 36 mothers; which significantly increased the parenting knowledge, attitude and practices.