Managing Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood Education: The Roles of Maternal Self-Efficacy and Parenting Stress

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationships among maternal self-efficacy, parenting stress, and mothers’ perceived difficulty in managing challenging behaviors during early childhood. It also explored whether maternal self-efficacy predicts mothers’ perceived difficulty in managing both offensive and passive challenging behaviors, and whether parenting stress mediates these relationships. The sample consisted of 300 mothers with children aged 3 to 6 years. Data were collected using the Parental Self-Efficacy Scale, the Parental Stress Scale, and a challenging behavior inventory. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships, and bootstrap analysis was conducted to examine indirect effects. The findings show that higher maternal self-efficacy is associated with lower parenting stress and lower perceived difficulty in managing both offensive and passive challenging behaviors. Parenting stress is positively related to perceived difficulty in managing challenging behaviors and partially mediates the relationship between maternal self-efficacy and perceived difficulty. These results indicate that maternal self-efficacy influences behavioral management both directly and indirectly through its effect on parenting stress. Maternal self-efficacy appears as a key factor in parenting and identifies parenting stress as an important mechanism. These two elements shape how mothers manage children’s challenging behaviors. Mothers’ ability to effectively manage these behaviors may support children’s school readiness and their capacity to benefit from educational environments. The findings contribute to a better understanding of parenting processes in early childhood. They also provide practical implications for supporting effective behavior management and children’s educational development.