Motherhood-defining memories and narrative identity awareness in relation to psychological wellbeing and maternal functioning following a parenting program

Author First name, Last name, Institution

• Christin Camia, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi CampusFollow
• Antje von Suchodoletz, NYU Abu Dhabi
• Michelle P. Kelly, Emirates College for Advanced Education

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Frontiers in Developmental Psychology

Publication Date

8-13-2026

Abstract

Introduction – Drawing on previous research showing that self- and relationship-defining memories relate to psychological and relational functioning, this study began to explore motherhood-defining memories and their relation to psychological wellbeing and maternal functioning within a parenting program context. The study aimed to examine whether participation contributes to the narrative coherence of motherhood-defining memories. Methods – Participants were 155 mothers from diverse cultural backgrounds (M age = 32.85 years, SD age = 5.20) residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Seventy-five mothers participated in an eight-session parenting program, and 80 mothers served as controls in a comparison group. Motherhood-defining memories from both groups, collected before and after the program, were coded for narrative coherence. Mothers also completed self-report survey measures of narrative identity awareness, psychological wellbeing, parenting stress, and maternal self-efficacy. Results – Results indicate that narrative coherence decreased over time in both groups, while narrative identity awareness increased in the program group. Moreover, in the program group, narrative identity awareness was associated with greater wellbeing and greater maternal self-efficacy at post-program, beyond baseline levels. Discussion – The study provides insights into how women experience motherhood, points to the relevance of role-defining memories, and suggests that narrative identity awareness may inform role identity and related functioning.

DOI Link

10.3389/fdpys.2026.1846034

ISSN

2813-7779

Publisher

Frontiers Media SA

Volume

4

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

gulf region, narrative coherence, narrative identity awareness, role-defining memories, wellbeing

Scopus ID

105048668646

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Camia, Christin; von Suchodoletz, Antje; and Kelly, Michelle P., "Motherhood-defining memories and narrative identity awareness in relation to psychological wellbeing and maternal functioning following a parenting program" (2026). All Works. 8352.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/8352

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series