Maternal sense of competence in a context of precariousness

The exercise of parenthood is threatened by the precarious context in which parents and children live. Precariousness is defined by the lack or the absence of basic securities, such as housing, employment, financial, emotional security, etc. In such a context, the emotional availability of a parent can be reduced, so that the quality of parent-child interactions decreases and multiple dimensions of the child development are impacted. Therefore, policies of prevention and intervention have been developed in order to overcome the difficulties experienced by parents from birth and, sometimes, from pregnancy. However, little is known about the parenting sense of competence of mother living in such a precarious context, and the possible mediating effect of perceived social support.
In this study, we investigate parenting sense of competence in a sample of 38 adult mothers raising alone their children in a context of poverty. Subjects completed the French versions of the “Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (P.S.O.C.)” and the “Social Provisions Scale”, and a socio-demographic questionnaire.
Results indicate that, in average, mothers report a high parenting sense of competence (μ=69.18), characterized by a high level of self-efficacy (μ=32.76) and an average level of satisfaction (μ=36.42). Mothers also report low perceived social support (T=41, percentile 21). Results also indicate a significant negative correlate between self-efficacy and the need to feel useful and necessary, while the satisfaction dimension is positively correlated with all the perceived social support dimensions, except from the “need to feel useful” dimension.
In conclusion, mothers raising alone their children in a context of poverty report high levels of parenting sense of competence. However, withdrawal and isolation are associated with poorer parental satisfaction. This suggests that the social dimension of poverty is a significant aspect to consider in parenting support policies.