The role of emotion regulation and maternal symptoms in Turkish mothers’ caregiving helplessness during toddlerhood

To support mothers’ positive parenting practices and designing effective early interventions in developing countries like Turkey, understanding the factors associated with feelings of helplessness in caregiving can play an important role. Therefore, we explored how mothers’ depression and anxiety symptoms, and emotion regulation strategies of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal can contribute to caregiving helplessness during toddlerhood. We also examined whether depression and anxiety can mediate the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and caregiving helplessness. A sample of 552 healthy Turkish mothers (MAge = 32.11) with 1–4 year old healthy children (MAge = 1.51) replied to advertisements we shared face-to-face and filled out a pack of questionnaires including a demographic form, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory and Caregiving Helplessness Questionnaire. A series of path analysis were conducted to reveal the association between emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression), depression and anxiety symptoms, and caregiving helplessness. After controlling for socio-economic status (SES), maternal anxiety but not maternal depression positively predicted caregiving helplessnes. Unlike cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression positively predicted caregiving helplessness. SES had an indirect effect (via suppression) on caregiving helplessness on caregiving helplessness. In toddlerhood, maternal anxiety rather than depression, and expressive supression rather than cogntivie reappraisal could be potential risk factors for caregiving helplessness. Thus, these can be critical target areas for effective early interventions.