ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2026
Role of mothers' fear of negative evaluation and perceived parenting competence on early child development: a longitudinal examination from ante- to postnatal period.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundFear of negative evaluation (FNE) has been linked to dysfunctional parenting in childhood, but its influence during the perinatal period remains unexplored. The present study investigated whether FNE is longitudinally associated with lower perceived parenting competence and poorer child developmental outcomes as reported by mothers. It was further hypothesized that perceived criticism of one’s parenting would be related to higher levels of FNE and reduced parenting competence.
methodsA total of 1,739 pregnant women were recruited through a large internet research panel in Japan. Participants completed online surveys at four time points: during pregnancy and at 4, 26, and 56 weeks postpartum. Complete longitudinal data were available for 768 women. Measures included the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE), the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), and single-item maternal reports of child developmental indicators across regulatory, motor, social, and physical health domains, and perceived criticism.
resultsRandom intercept cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) showed a negative trait-level association between BFNE and PSOC (r = –.49, p < .001). Higher prenatal FNE predicted an increased likelihood that the child would require follow-up or specialist referral at the one-month health check. The associations between PSOC and child developmental ratings became strongest by 56 weeks postpartum, as did the relationships between perceived criticism and FNE.
conclusionThese findings suggest that reducing FNE during the early perinatal period may strengthen parenting competence and improve maternal perceptions of child development later in the postpartum period.
trial registrationThis study was preregistered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; ID: UMIN000044079, Date of registration: April 30, 2021).
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