Impacts of families and mothers on the development of children and adolescents are undeniable. Family may also be influential in formation, development and change of behaviors and emotions. Cassano et al. (2007) urge that child raising and family affairs influence socialization of the child and regulation of relationships. It is claimed that women take up more responsibilities than men in child care and raising (Lamb et al., 1987). The study reveals differences in proportions of emotions expressed by fathers and mothers. It was found out that mothers express their emotions more than fathers (Halberstadt et al., 1995).

One of the emotions expressed by parents was anxiety. This influences both mother-father and parent-child relationship. Craske et al. (2010) said that anxiety is one of the most frequently used notions in social life. Several communication barriers may develop due to perspectives and judgments of parents who are unable to adjust their anxiety level (Navaro, 1993).

Anxiety is regarded from the perspective of various behaviors such as psychological and psychosomatic symptoms. General anxiety is indeed recognized as anxiety based on fear, stress, state anxiety. (Spielberger, 1976, 3-7). Researchers define anxiety as a feeling of strain increased by threat perception (Cücelo?lu, 2006; Köknel, 1989; Öner and Le Compte, 1983; Spielberger, 1989). Anxiety usually causes emotional situations such as preoccupation, inner stress, insecurity, unrest, fear, confusion and panic (Ayd?n and Dilmaç, 2004).

According to Öner and LeCompte (1998), anxiety may be recognized as the basic emotions of mankind because everyone feels a bit anxious in cases they perceive as dangerous.  For example, tests and surgical operations may cause uneasiness and unrest to a certain extent. Such worries are usually short-term and temporary. Therefore, it is called impermanent-state anxiety. When a person perceives and interprets daily life situations in a stressful manner, it is called perpetual anxiety. In this case, perpetual anxiety may be defined as a person’s feeling worried, uneasy even when he is not faced with a clear and concrete danger.

What casuses anxiety is not the events themselves but the way they are assessed (Özer, 2011). Anxiety reaction may depend on past experience, personal features, structure and hardship of the problem, level of induced anxiety. One may react to anxiety with an effective problem solving, in which case he goes through a positive experience. He may also react with an ineffective problem solving, in which case he goes through anxiety in the form of stress, confusion, fear, physical sickness, worry and failure (Sieber, 1980:17).

Anxiety is occasionally good, but excessive and uncontrolled anxiety weakens the person and makes him lose his capabilities (Mash and Wolfe, 2002). Increased anxiety process causes people not to know what to do with their future as well as fail to decide what to do. People may feel irrevelantly as if something will happen to them in this process (Çakmak and Hedevanl?, 2005).

In his review of literature, Öngider (2011) found that anxiety level of children with divorced parents was higher than children with married parents. Similarly, anxiety level of divorced mothers was higher than married mothers. In their study to find out whether mother-child commitment with anxiety symptoms was directed by emotion regulation, Brumariu et al. (2012) found out that anxiety symptoms were related with three mentioned emotion regulations (insufficient emotional awareness, biased interpretation of emotional cases, coping methods). Queen et al. (2013) studied depression and anxiety symptoms of the youngsters in depression and their family relationships with regards to quality factor. The study found out that family relationships were more closely related to depression symptoms than anxiety symptoms. Do?ru and Arslan (2008) found out that there was not a meaningful difference between education level and both state and perpetual anxiety.

Other hood is a multilateral process covering psychological factors as well as biological processes.  While fulfilling their roles and responsibilities, mothers assess various factors and raise their children accordingly. It is possible to say that mothers occasionally face various risks. One of these risks is the mother’s going through anxieties related to their children. Occasional anxieties of mothers influence their children negatively. High anxiety levels of children and youngsters will cause anxious generations to appear. Therefore, it is important to draw attention to anxieties of mothers and focus on preventing them. The purpose of the study is to examine the anxieties of mothers with different socio-economic status about the future of their children.

We conducted this study to uncover the mother’s anxiety about their children’s future. In addition, this study is done with the hope that it will contribute to the upbringing of future generations with intervention and precaution.

With this study the anxiety of mothers about their children’s future is ranked according to the importance level and their economic level. It is hoped that the data obtained from this study will benefit the science, researchers and the therapists who work for anxiety treatment.

For the interviews, 8 primary, elementary and high schools were specified from regions in Istanbul with different socio-economic features. Volunteered mothers from the schools with different socio-economic features were selected and taken into interview.

Interviews were carried out face to face and one by one. Mothers were asked to express situations that make them feel anxious about their children’s features. Data were analyzed with descriptive analysis approach.

Data analys?s

Descriptive analysis method was used while analyzing the obtained data. Purpose of descriptive analysis shapes the raw data so that the readers would be able to understand and use if they wish. In descriptive analysis, the data is summarized and interpreted according to previously specified themes.  This analysis frequently gives place to direct quotations in order to strikingly reflect opinions of the people interviewed or observed (Altun?s?k et al., 2001; Y?ld?r?m and ?im?ek, 2005). Features that enable validity in qualitative research are inclination to research field, profound data collection through face-to-face interviews, collection of information through observation, feedback to the field for confirmation of the obtained information and chance to collect additional information (Y?ld?r?m and ?im?ek, 2005). In this study, direct information was received from the participants through interviews and data was evaluated.

Mothers of families with different socio-economic features gave various responses to the question asked in order to determine their anxieties about their children’s future.  After these responses were analyzed through descriptive analysis technique, similar sentences in the responses were turned into articles, categorized and a table was formed. Frequency and percentage of each category is written below. As seen in Table 1, not having a good education leads the anxiety causing factors with 70.5%, which is followed by having bad friends with 50,4%. 

Quick access to bad habits was expressed by 27.1% of mothers.  Mothers anxiety about their children not having a job with which they will be happy (40,3%) is higher than their anxiety about not finding a good job (31.8%). Anxieties about having a low academic success (29.9%), alienation to religious values (20.2%) and addiction to technology (19.4%) are close to each other. Only 3.1% of mothers are anxious about their children becoming selfish and not having sense of responsibility. Only 1 of the 127 mothers stated her anxiety about the possibility of her child’s gender change.

As seen in Table 2, having health problems was the most frequently expressed reason of anxiety for mothers from upper socio-economic group with 65.6%. It is followed by anxiety about not having a good education (56.3%). Having insufficient financial capabilities in the future was expressed by 53.1% of mothers. Anxiety about their children not having a job with which they will be happy (50.0%) is higher than their anxiety about not finding a good job (37.5%). 13 mothers (40.6%) were anxious about their children of not being happy.  Only 1 mother from upper socio-economic group (3.1%) was anxious about her child alienating to his cultural identity, not making correct decisions, not having a child. 2 of the 32 mothers included in the study (6.3%) were anxious about their children wishing to live abroad, not realizing their dreams, being addicted to technology while 1 mother (3,1%) stated her anxiety about failing to support her child to study abroad. Some of the responses given by the mothers to this question were as follows:

M7:“I am always anxious when I think what kind of a life is waiting for my child. I always think whether he/she will be successful in the future and whether I will raise a healthy child. I get upset as I think how our family ties will be. I am worried about his happines in life.”

M11:“I am worried about my child’s losing his mental and physical health due to any reason. One of my biggest anxieties is his not having a happy and peaceful marriage in the future. I am anxious about whether he will have a job that he loves and will live better than us.”

M28:“I am worried about whether my child will receive a good education in high school and higher education. I am worried about his selection of the correct job. I am anxious about bad friends, health and happiness. I am anxious about his not having the life standards that we provide him.”

M31:“I am anxious about my daughter’s failing in work life and fall behind with the life standards of our family. I am worried abouther having financial problems, being able to live without family support and look to the future safely.”

As seen in Table 3, not having a good education was the most frequently expressed anxiety factor for mothers from middle socio-economic group with 71.9%. It is followed by having bad friends (61.4%) and alienation to cultural identity (43.9%). Addiction to technology (29.8%), not establishing a good family (29,8%), alienation to religious values (28.1%), not maintaining family ties (28.1%) are close to each other. 19.3% of mothers are anxious about their children having insufficient financial capabilities in the future and being exposed to bullying. Though very low, being selfish (7.0%), not having sense of responsibility (7.0%), socially unacceptable behaviour (7.0%), possibility of gender change (1.8%) are among the factors that worry mothers from middle socio-economic group. Some of the responses given by the mothers to this question are as follows:

M6:“I am worried about the education system because the curriculum and exams change every year.  Harmful habits and easy access to them is worrying. Internet and virtual environment have developed a lot. They are very effective on children. I don’t have the control, which worries me. The possibility of not finding a job even if he/she graduates from university worries me. Habits of his/her friends and their families’ structural differences are worrying to me.”

M38:“I am worried about my child not having a good education. Quality of education is decreasing each day. There is fear of alienation from cultural and religious values. I am anxious about my child not feeding naturally.”

RESULT

Not having a good education leads the anxiety factors for mothers participating in the study. Having bad friends is the second most common anxiety. The third anxiety factor is quick access to bad habits (drugs).  Mothers are more anxious about their children having a job that will make them happy than finding a job. There was no significant difference in anxiety levels depending on educational status. Health problem is an anxiety factor in all groups. Another finding of the study is that mothers are anxious about bad friends. Only mothers from middle socio-economic group are anxious about their children being selfish and not having sense of responsibility. Exposure to bullying was uttered mostly by mothers from middle socio-economic group. Mothers from upper socio-economic group did not utter such an anxiety factor. Mothers from lower socio-economic group are anxious about this factor only to a very little extent. Mothers from lower socio-economic group are the ones who are least worried about insufficient financial capabilities.

This study has dealt with mothers’ children-related anxieties in an effort to reveal anxieties of mothers with different socio-economic features. No study was discovered in literature with the same goal and conclusion with this study. 8 primary, elementary and high schools were selected from regions of Istanbul with different socio-economic features for the study. Volunteered mothers of students studying at these schools were selected in order to reveal their future-related anxieties.

Not having a good education leads the anxiety factors for mothers participating in the study. This may be explained by the fact that education influences many aspects of a person’s life. Education determines a person’s success in his profession, which influences his/her success in life and happiness. Therefore, we may say that mothers express educational anxieties more than others as they know this fact.

Similar results are obtained from the studies done on Turkish mothers living in the USA conducted by the researcher. Medium level and low economic level mothers stated that it is a source of anxiety for them when they cannot send their children to qualified schools because of high tuition fee (Ilgar and Topac, 2014). In other words, their children’s education is of utmost importance to the mothers.

Having   bad   friends   is   the   second most common anxiety. Mothers may feel that having bad friends will negatively affect their children’s success, attitude, behaviours and habits.  The third anxiety factor is quick access to bad habits (drugs).  We may conclude that mothers are anxious as drug use is more common today than before even among children and access to drugs is easier and quicker. In the researchers study conducted on Turkish mothers in the USA, drug use is stated to be the highest anxiety of high income level mothers (Ilgar and Topac, 2014). In both countries (U.S and Turkey), the higher one income gets, the more drug is used.

Mothers are more anxious about their children having a job that will make them happy than finding a job. This may be explained by the fact that a person will find a job on all accounts when he has a job that he loves.

When anxieties of mothers with different socio-economic features are considered; though the same anxieties were expressed, there were differences between their levels. Studies of Baer and Avsaroglu support this. In their study, in order to examine anxiety disorders in poor families, Baer et al. (2012) concluded that the rate of generalized anxiety disorder was higher among poor mothers and anxiety of poor mothers stems from environmental factors than psychiatric factors. In a study to specify anxiety levels of parents with mentally handicapped children, Av?aroglu (2012) found out that state and perpetual anxiety of parents with lower income was higher than that of parents with moderate income. There was no significant difference in anxiety levels depending on educational status. This study has also the qualifications to support these results. When the socio-economic level varies, the anxiety reason of mothers varies in some points as well.

All mothers in upper, middle and lower socio-economic group were anxious about their children having a good education. This anxiety is the leading anxiety factor in lower and middle socio-economic group. However, this factor is lower in mothers from upper socio-economic group. Mothers from upper socio-economic group were most worried about health problems. This may be explained by the fact that mothers from upper socio-economic group were not much concerned about having a good education as they believed their children were already having a good education as a result of their financial welfare.

Health problem was an anxiety factor in all groups. However, mothers were less anxious about health as socio-economic level falls. High socio-economic level families being more conscious may have led to this result.

Studies show that health problems and disabilities of children affect mothers’ anxiety levels. Akmese et al., (2007) studied how disability levels of children with Cerebral Palsy affect their mothers and found out that children with lower functional motor levels increased their mothers’ anxiety levels. Again, Avsaro?lu (2012) carried out a study in order to determine anxiety levels of parents with disabled children and found out that state and perpetual anxiety of mothers is significantly higher than that of fathers. Karaman et al. (2012) carried out a study in order to determine family functions of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their mothers’ depression and anxiety symptoms and found out that mothers’ depression and anxiety levels are higher than the control group.

Another finding of the study is that mothers are anxious about bad friends. This anxiety factor is highest among the mothers from middle socio-economic group. This may be explained by the fact that friends of children from middle socio-economic group are heterogenous. Mothers from lower and upper socio-economic group are not much anxious about bad friends because their children are usually in a homogenous atmosphere.

Another significant anxiety factor was the possibility of children’ salienation to their cultural identity. Mothers from upper socio-economic group had little or no anxiety about cultural alienation. This factor was most common among mothers from middle socio-economic group. This may be because these families are developing and have the potential for a class change. This development may cause loss of some cultural values. We may conclude that mothers from middle socio-economic group are in an effort to preserve cultural values.

In the research conducted on Turkish mothers in the USA, it is stated that mothers from all socio economic levels explained that their children’s alienation from Turkish culture and identity is their primary anxiety (Ilgar, 2014). However, in this study it is the anxiety explained by the mothers from medium socio-economic families.  It is the natural result of continuing to live in their own culture.

Similarly, alienation from religious values, socially unacceptable behaviours (gang, theft etc) were the most common anxiety among mothers from middle socio-economic group.

Ar?kan and Do?an (2013) found similar results in their study. Ar?kan and Do?an (2013) found out that students had better attitude towards cultural heritage as family income increased. Students with lower income had no better attitude toward cultural heritage than students with higher income.

Only mothers from middle socio-economic group were anxious about their children being selfish and not having sense of responsibility. We may thinks that mothers from middle socio-economic group have high expectations from their children. We may add that they attach too much importance to several values. These anxieties were not uttered by mothers from lower and upper socio-economic group.

Exposure to bullying was uttered mostly by mothers from middle socio-economic group.  Mothers from uppper socio-economic group did not utter such an anxiety factor. Mothers from lower socio-economic group were anxious about this factor only to a very little extent. It can be said that the medium income level families bring up their children very protectively and their children’s lack of self-confidence may leave them in easier exposition to bullying.

Their children’s exposition to bullying is stated by mothers from high and medium income families as a source of anxiety in the study conducted on Turkish mothers living in the USA (Ilgar and Topac, 2014). Findings of Kapc?’s study (2004) support the findings of this study. Kapc? concluded that there are not significant differences in terms of socio-economic level, class and gender variants, adding that children from middle socio-economic group are exposed to bullying more than others.

Mothers from lower socio-economic group did not utter anxiety about their children not maintaining family ties, not realizing their dreams, having no child, no social reputation. We may think that they pay self-realization efforts after fulfilling basic needs.

Mothers from lower socio-economic group did not utter anxiety about their children not realizing their dreams, having no social reputation. We may think that they pay self-realization efforts after fulfilling basic needs. Findings of this study confirm Maslow’s theory of needs hierarchy. Paksoy (2002) stated that while moving from bottom to top of Maslow’s needs hierarchy, the following stage is not much motivating without fulfilling the previous need stage; which means that security needs will be important after fulfilling physiological needs to a certain extent.

Mothers from lower socio-economic group were the ones who were least worried about insufficient financial capabilities. This factor worried mothers from upper socio-economic group most, followed by mothers from middle socio-economic group. Anxieties of mothers from upper socio-economic group may be explained by the fact that they may be worried about their children’s losing high living standards that they are used to. Similarly, we may adds that mothers from other socio-economic groups have worries according to their own living standards. The most important proof were the mothers from lower socio-economic group, who were the least anxious group about insufficient financial capabilities.

Suggestions

We may adds the following suggestions after these findings:

1. As anxious mothers will reflect their anxieties on their children, they will influence their emotional development and anxiety levels. Therefore, mothers should be trained in order to develop skills to control anxiety levels.

2. If we think that anxiety will turn into a behaviour style in time, we may concludes that psychologic aid and mother (family) aid may be given as a support.

3. Mothers should be trained to develop their communi-cation skills.

4. Psychologic counselors should be employed in order to organize school-family cooperation, monitor children’s development and inform families, contribute to cooperation through both family trainings and child-adolescent trainings.

5. Directors and teachers should cooperate with families in their institutions in order to make planning according to mothers’ needs and share this with families at the beginning of the semester.

6. Fathers should support mothers in order to reduce their anxiety and act together in child raising and decision-making processes.

The author(s) have not declared any conflict of interests.