Linda R. Cote

“Who Is Sitting Across From Me?” Immigrant Mothers’ Knowledge of Parenting and Children’s Development

Objective. Although parents’ knowledge about child development and child rearing is relevant to pediatric practice, very little is known about immigrant parents’ knowledge. To fill this gap in research, this study investigated parenting knowledge in 2 groups of mothers who had immigrated to the United States. Design. Japanese and South American immigrant mothers of 2-year-olds completed a standardized survey of parenting knowledge and provided information about sociodemographic and infant health status. Their data were compared with European American mothers in the United States. Results. Immigrant mothers scored ∼70% on the evaluation of parenting knowledge, significantly lower than multigenerational US mothers. The majority of immigrant mothers did not know correct answers for 25% of the items, and their incorrect answers were mostly to questions about normative child development. Conclusions. Parents’ knowledge is relevant to pediatricians’ evaluations of the health and welfare of children as understood by their parents. Gaps in parenting knowledge have implications for clinical interactions with parents, child diagnosis, pediatric training, and parent education.

Mother-infant interaction and acculturation: I. Behavioural comparisons in Japanese American and South American families

This study examined similarities and differences in mothers’ and infants’ activities and interactions among 37 Japanese American and 40 South American dyads. Few relations between maternal acculturation level or individualism/collectivism and maternal parenting or infant behaviours emerged in either group. However, group differences were found in mothers’ and infants’ behaviours indicating that culture-of-origin continues to influence parenting behaviour in acculturating groups.

Child and mother play in cultures of origin, acculturating cultures, and cultures of destination

Immigrant (Japanese and South Americans in the United States) families’ play was compared to play in families in their countries of origin (Japan and Argentina, respectively) and in a common country of destination (European Americans in the United States). Two hundred and forty 20-month-old children and their mothers participated. Generally, the play of immigrant children and mothers was similar to European American childrens and mothers’ play. Japanese and Argentine children engaged in more symbolic play, whereas immigrant children engaged in more exploratory play. Likewise, South American immigrant mothers demonstrated and solicited more exploratory play than Argentine mothers. Japanese mothers solicited more symbolic play, and Argentine mothers demonstrated more symbolic play than immigrant mothers. The findings from this study provide insight into the nature of child and mother play generally and that of immigrant children and their mothers specifically and shed light on the parenting climate in which immigrant children are reared.

Child age, parent and child gender, and domain differences in parents’ attributions and responses to children’s outcomes

The influence of children’s age, and parents’ and children’s gender on parents’ attributions and emotional and behavioral responses to their children’s successful and unsuccessful social and academic outcomes, was investigated. Seventy-six dual-parent families (mothers and fathers) of fifth (n=28), eighth (n=23), and eleventh grade (n=25) children participated. The results of this study suggest that from fifth grade on, at least, the ways parents explain the causes of and respond to their children’s social behavior and academic outcomes involves a complex interaction of children’s age, children’s gender, parents’ gender, domain, and outcome. Results are discussed in terms of children’s socialization.

Mother-infant interaction and acculturation: II. Behavioural coherence and correspondence in Japanese American and South American families

This study examined cultural generality and specificity in relations among and between mothers’ and infants’ behaviours in 37 Japanese American and 40 South American acculturating families. Few relations among mothers’ behaviours emerged, except for that between mothers’ social behaviour and other types of maternal behaviour, which appear to reflect the common collectivist orientation of these two cultural groups. Few relations among infants’ behaviours emerged, suggesting that there is independence and plasticity in infant behavioural organisation. Several expected relations between mothers’ and infants’ behaviours emerged, pointing to some universal characteristics in mother-infant interactions.