| Abstract | Tranzicija u roditeljstvo, ključna razvojna faza puna izazova za nove roditelje, često izaziva roditeljski stres, koji obuhvaća procese koji uzrokuju negativne psihološke i fiziološke reakcije uslijed prilagodbe zahtjevima roditeljske uloge. U dosadašnjim istraživanjima utvrđene su brojne determinante roditeljskog stresa, od sociodemografskih značajki, preko djetetovog temperamenta do obilježja roditeljskog bračnog odnosa. Prvi je cilj ovog istraživanja bio ispitati povezanost sociodemografskih čimbenika poput ranijeg iskustva u roditeljskoj ulozi (prvo dijete ili dijete višeg reda rođenja), dobi roditelja, obrazovanja roditelja, broja djece u obitelji, dobi najmlađeg djeteta, percepcije prihoda i roditeljskog stresa. Nadalje, drugi je cilj bio ispitati ulogu socijalne podrške, karakteristika dojenčeta i roditeljske kompetentnosti, zadovoljstva brakom i percipirane pravednosti u braku u predviđanju roditeljskog stresa roditelja djece dojenačke dobi. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku majki koje su u braku i koje imaju dojenče staro od jednog mjeseca do godine dana (N=332). Podaci su prikupljeni online metodom, a mjerni instrumenti korišteni u ovom istraživanju su: Skala zadovoljstva brakom (Ćubela Adorić i Jurević, 2006), Skala percipirane pravednosti u braku (Ćubela Adorić i Mičić, 2010), Skala osjećaja roditeljske kompetentnosti (Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Gibaud-Wallston i Wandersman, 1978), Skala percipirane socijalne podrške (Jakovljević, 2004), Upitnik karakteristika dojenčeta (ICQ; Bates, Freeland i Lounsbury, 1979), Skala roditeljskog stresa (Berry i Jones, 1995) i upitnik općih podataka konstruiran za potrebe ovog diplomskog rada. U ovom istraživanju nije utvrđena razlika u intenzitetu roditeljskog stresa između majki koje su rodile prvi put i majki koje već imaju djecu. Nadalje, nije utvrđena povezanost sociodemografskih karakteristika roditelja i djeteta s procjenom intenziteta roditeljskog stresa. Na kraju, rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da je težak temperament djeteta značajan pozitivan prediktor, a zadovoljstvo roditeljstvom i roditeljska samoefikasnost značajni negativni prediktori roditeljskog stresa. Zadovoljstvo brakom, percipirana pravednost u braku i percipirana socijalna podrška nisu se pokazali značajnim prediktorima roditeljskog stresa. Sve prediktorske varijable objasnile su 62,7% varijance roditeljskog stresa. Rezultati istraživanja potvrđuju određene pretpostavljene povezanosti, ali jasno ukazuju na potrebu za daljnjim istraživanjima ovog područja. Dobiveni nalazi mogu biti korisni za razvoj intervencijskih programa koji se fokusiraju na pomoć roditeljima u suočavanju s izazovima i stresom u roditeljstvu. |
| Abstract (english) | The transition to parenthood, a crucial stage of development full of challenges for new parents, often leads to parental stress, which encompasses processes that cause negative psychological and physiological reactions as parents adjust to the demands of the parenting role. In previous research, numerous determinants of parental stress have been established, ranging from sociodemographic characteristics and child's temperament to the characteristics of the parents' marital relationship. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between sociodemographic factors such as prior parenting experience (first child or later-born child), parent age, parental education, number of children in the family, age of the youngest child, perceived income, and parental stress. Additionally, the study aims to explore the role of social support, infant characteristics, parental competence, marital satisfaction, and perceived fairness in marriage in predicting parental stress among parents of infants. The study was conducted with a sample of mothers who are married and have infants aged from one month to one year (N=332). Data were collected online, and the measurement instruments used in this thesis include: the Marital Satisfaction Scale (Ćubela Adorić & Jurević, 2006), the Relational Equity Scale (Ćubela Adorić & Mičić, 2010), the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (GibaudWallston & Wandersman, 1978), the Perceived Social Support Scale (Jakovljević, 2004), the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ; Bates, Freeland, & Lounsbury, 1979), the Parenting Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995), and a general information questionnaire created for the purposes of this thesis. This study found no difference in the intensity of parental stress between mothers who gave birth for the first time and those who already have children. Furthermore, no correlation was found between sociodemographic characteristics of parents and children and the assessment of parental stress intensity. Finally, the results indicated that difficult infant temperament is a significant positive predictor, while parenting satisfaction and parental selfefficacy are significant negative predictors of parental stress. Marital satisfaction, perceived fairness in marriage, and perceived social support were not significant predictors of parental stress. The mentioned variables explain 62,7% of the variance of parental stress. The results confirm certain hypothesized relationships but clearly highlight the need for further research in this area. The findings of this research can be useful for the development of intervention programs aimed at helping parents cope with the challenges and stress of parenting. |
