Mastery Motivation and Maternal Stress in Typically Developing Children and Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Aims: To examine (1) differences in mastery motivation (MM) between children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and children with typical development (TD), (2) group differences in maternal stress, and (3) explore the association between maternal stress and MM. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, mothers of TD (n = 89) and NDD children (n = 38) completed the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (assessing instrumental and expressive MM and General Competence) and the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (measuring multiple stress domains). Results: Mothers of children with NDD reported significantly higher stress and their children’s lower instrumental MM and General Competence, while expressive MM did not differ between groups. In the TD group, higher stress correlated with lower social and cognitive persistence. In the NDD group, stress was associated with reduced motor and cognitive persistence, and General Competence showed negative correlations with all stress subscales. Expressive MM showed weak correlations in the TD group. Conclusions: Maternal stress is linked to lower child persistence and perceived competence, particularly in children with NDD. These findings highlight the need for interventions addressing both child motivation and parental stress to promote optimal development.