The Mediating Role of Social Comparison Between Parental Self- Efficacy and Sharenting.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of sharenting with variables that are theoretically related with the concept. Sharenting includes the basic motivation to share parental practices with others and can be associated with social comparison and parental selfefficacy. In this context, we hypothesized that the social comparison could be a mediating variable between parental self-efficacy and sharing.

Method: The participants were 558 parents (456 mothers 81.7% and 102 fathers 18.3%) from Türkiye and Northern Cyprus. The age range was 19 to 53 (M=33.59, SD=5.98). Sharenting Questionnaire, Parental Social Comparison Orientation Measure and The Self-Efficacy for Parenting Tasks Index were used as measurement tools. The data was collected online by using convenience sampling method.

Results: In two separate Hierarchical Regression Analyses (HRA) parental social comparison predicted sharenting and perceived parental emotional availability predicted parental social comparison significantly. Mediation analysis indicated that parental social comparison mediated between parental emotional availability and sharenting.

Conclusion: Sharenting can be used to strengthen the parent-child relationship. Our research indicated that the parents who compare themselves with other parents were less available emotionally in their relationship with their children.