Societal pressures are taking a toll on maternal mental health, according to research by Kathryn E. Frazier, Ph.D., and Jacquelyn Raftery-Helmer, Ph.D., both associate professors of psychology at Worcester State University.
The researchers studied “intensive parenting,” defined by beliefs that the child’s needs must be put above all else and that good parents must be constantly stimulating the children and overly involved in their lives.
In published reports, Frazier said the ideology is pervasive in American culture and manifests differently in other countries. “The moms are not okay,” Frazier was quoted as saying.
The WSU professors discovered that mothers felt compelled to enroll their children in structured activities like soccer, violi...
