Sources: Blake Berryhill, mbberryh@k-state.edu;
Kristy Soloski, ksolosk1@k-state.edu;
and Rebekah Adams, rdadams@k-state.edu
Hometown connection: Ripon, Calif.; Parma, Ohio; and Tulsa, Okla.
News release prepared by: Jennifer Tidball, 785-532-0847, jtorline@k-state.edu
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The power of playtime: Study finds that single mothers can reduce 1xbet online games login by playing, engaging with children
MANHATTAN -- A group of three Kansas State University researchers is studying ways to help single mothers improve 1xbet online games login relationship with 1xbet online games login children.
Among many of their findings, they have discovered that single mothers who engage with children in daily activities -- such as reading stories or playing games -- may experience lower levels of 1xbet online games login .
The researchers -- Blake Berryhill, Tulsa, Okla.; Kristy Soloski, Parma, Ohio; and Rebekah Adams, Ripon, Calif. -- are all doctoral students in marriage and family therapy and work with the K-State Family Center.
About 41 percent of births in the United States are to unwed mothers, Berryhill said, and it has been shown that single mothers often have higher levels of parental 1xbet online games login than married mothers. Parental 1xbet online games login involves the difficulty that a mother can experience from the demands of being a parent.
"Single mothers can feel constantly overloaded and overwhelmed at being a parent and trying to fulfill all of their responsibilities," Berryhill said. "Being a single mother brings extra 1xbet online games login , because they have decreased economic resources, longer work hours and their social support network may be limited as well. Because of all of this, they can feel the constant 1xbet online games login of 'how am I doing in my role as a mother?'"
The researchers wanted to develop ways to help single mothers by better understanding the relationship between parental stress, parental engagement and 1xbet online games login temperament. Parental engagement involves spending time with a 1xbet online games login through daily activities, such as reading stories, playing games or putting their 1xbet online games login to bed. 1xbet online games login temperament involves a mother's perception of the 1xbet online games login , such as viewing the 1xbet online games login as someone who cries a lot, is fussy or gets upset easily.
The researchers used a national set of data related to single mothers and studied parental stress, parental engagement and 1xbet online games login temperament when the children were ages 1, 3 and 5.
By studying this data set, the researchers discovered several important findings:
* Single mothers who reported high levels of parental stress when their 1xbet online games login was 1 were more likely to continue to have high levels of parental stress when their 1xbet online games login was 5.
* Single mothers who spent time engaging in daily activities with their 1xbet online games login at age 1 were more likely to continue to stay engaged with their 1xbet online games login at age 5.
* 1xbet online games login temperament at age 1 can predict levels of parental engagement when a 1xbet online games login is 1 and 5 years old. The more difficult a 1xbet online games login is at an early age, the less likely the mother is to engage with them.
* 1xbet online games login temperament at age 1 can predict the level of parental stress when the 1xbet online games login is 1. If a 1xbet online games login is seen as difficult and fussy, it increases the level of parental stress.
* The level of parental stress does not predict the level of parental engagement. This means that even if a single mother is stressed or overwhelmed in her role as a parent, it does not predict how much time she will spend with her 1xbet online games login .
* A higher level of parental engagement can reduce the level of parental stress. This means that the more time a mother spends engaging with her 1xbet online games login in daily activities, the lower level of stress she may experience and the more energizing she may feel as a parent.
"The last finding was especially interesting to us because it helped us realize that the answer is spending time with their children," Berryhill said. "Being a single mother and being a parent in general is very exhausting, but if a mother is willing to spend time with her children, it can reduce her parental 1xbet online games login because she will feel that in her role as a mom, she is doing an adequate job."
For the three clinicians, the discovery that engagement can reduce 1xbet online games login was an unexpected, yet positive finding.
"If we can help moms spend more time with their 1xbet online games login and help them in that way, then their levels of parental stress will be reduced and they will have more fulfillment in their role as a mother," Soloski said. "Our role becomes helping them find meaningful ways to interact with their children."
"Often times mothers are encouraged to engage with their children for the positive impact it has on the 1xbet online games login ," Adams said. "The findings show there is long-term positive impact for the mother as well."
The researchers plan follow-up studies focusing on how stress from work affects the parent-1xbet online games login relationship as well as how the relationship changes beyond the age of 5 and into adolescence. Soloski's adviser is Jared Durtschi, assistant professor of family studies and human services. Jared Anderson, assistant professor of family studies and human services, advises Berryhill and Adams.
