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Abstract
Research suggests that maternal self-efficacy (SE) beliefs are related to a variety of parenting practices. Additional work is needed to understand the child and family variables that may contribute to the development of SE. Stressful experiences during the perinatal period may impact how mothers feel about their parenting abilities. The purpose of this study was to examine variables known to be markers of stress and their relationship with SE during early infancy among a sample of mothers (N = 1,364). Mothers’ reports of their perinatal stress were dichotomized to create a risk index, such that the higher the risk index, the more stress a mother experienced perinatally. Multiple regression models revealed a significant association between the number of stressors a mother experienced perinatally and her SE when her child was 6-months such that women who experienced more stress perinatally exhibited poorer SE beliefs. Implications for practice and interventions are discussed.