Analysis of the relationship between developmental niche and parental self-efficacy in mothers with preschool-aged children

Cultural and environmental conditions play a significant role in a child's development. The Developmental Niche Theory explains the child's developmental context through three components: the physical and social environment, caregiving practices and parental ethnotheories, emphasizing that parenting behaviors cannot be evaluated independently from the social environment. Parental self-efficacy, on the other hand, refers to an individual's confidence in their parenting abilities. This study aims to examine the relationship between mothers' levels of developmental niche and their parental self-efficacy. It also investigates whether the relationship between developmental niche levels and self-efficacy in maternal skills varies based on certain demographic variables (mother's age, educational level, employment status, child's gender, number of children, and child's school attendance duration). The sample consists of 400 mothers with children aged 4–6 years who are attending preschool. This study was conducted using the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The data collection tools used were the Developmental Niche Scale (DNS), the Revised Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (BPSE-R), and a Personal Information Form. Parametric tests were used for data analysis; t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied for group comparisons and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships between variables. According to the findings, mothers scored above average in the positive subdimensions of the developmental niche, while their scores on the negative emotional climate were low. Mothers' developmental niche levels differed significantly by educational level and employment status, but no significant differences were found in relation to the mother's age, child's age, or the child's school attendance status. Mothers' parental self-efficacy levels were generally identified to be high. This perception was not significantly related to the mother's educational level, employment status, child's age or school attendance, but it did differ significantly based on the child's gender and the mother's age. Among the DNS subdimensions, "Positive Emotional Climate," "Supportive Family Environment" and "Participation in Activities" were positive predictors of parental self-efficacy, while "Negative Emotional Climate" was a negative predictor. The study results indicate a positive and significant relationship between mothers' developmental niche levels and their parental self-efficacy levels. The findings suggest that parenting is a structure rooted not only in individual competencies but also in cultural and historical backgrounds.