Two Generations of Mother-Child Relationships: A Self-determination Theory Analysis of the Social Situation of Development

Abstract

Background. This study used self-determination theory to examine the intergenerationalcontinuity of the social situation of development with a focus onwhat determines a woman’s basic psychological need support for her child.Objective. To assess the relationship between the basic need support a womanreceived from her own mother, the woman’s basic need support toward herown child, and the quality of the woman-child interaction.Design. The scales, “Parent-child interaction” and “Basic PsychologicalNeeds,” were administered. Eighty-seven women (29-40 years old) with childrenage 4-5 years assessed the basic need support provided for them by their motherin childhood and at present, and her estimate of the basic need support she herselfprovides to her own child. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Wilcoxonsigned-rank tests, factor analysis, and multiple linear regression.Results. The ratio of levels of basic need support demonstrated continuityacross generations. Intergenerational continuity in the child’s basic need supportmainly concerns the needs for competence and relatedness: the more theywere supported in childhood and are now supported by the woman’s mother, themore the woman supports them in her own child today. Such continuity was notfound for autonomy support. A woman’s own basic need support by her mother,in childhood and currently, and the woman’s provision of basic need support forher child predicted most of the woman-child interaction parameters.Conclusion. Intergenerational continuity with respect to provision of basicneed support was shown. The woman-child interaction was predicted by basicneed support across intergenerational relations.