Determinants of parents’ need for help when raising infants

Raising an infant can be a tumultuous time for parents, with an increased risk of depression and anxiety, strain on marital and social relations, role conflict, increased stress and fatigue, difficulties working and poorer overall psychological well-being. These difficulties during the infant years can affect parent and child mental health, child competence, marital support, the parent-child relationship and even child cognitive, social and motor development. The aim of this study was to assess what predicts parents’ need for help when raising infants, and to identify specific areas in which parents want more information and support. Measures included developmental history, postnatal depression, parental self-efficacy, happiness, couple relationship, social network, perceptions of baby behaviours, and satisfaction with sources of parenting information and support within a sample of 159 parents of infants. It was hypothesised that (1) the majority of parents will want more information and support than they are currently receiving; (2) the majority of parents will want information on parent programs; (3) those who are high in postnatal depression, low on happiness, low on parental self-efficacy, are unhappy in their current relationship or social network, or who report baby behaviours as intense problems will be more likely to want more information and support regarding parenting; and (4) those who are high in postnatal depression, low on happiness, low on parental self-efficacy, are unhappy in their current relationship or social network, or who report baby behaviours as intense problems will be more likely to want information about parenting programs. Results revealed that the majority of parents want more information and support, over a third of parents want information on parenting programs, and Self-Efficacy is an important predictor of parents’ need for help while raising infants. Furthermore, satisfaction with informal support is a predictor of wanting more information and support regarding parenting. Findings provide a basis from which future parenting programs and interventions can be designed, and suggests the best modes of delivery