Autonomy and Interdependence: Beliefs of Brazilian Mothers from State Capitals and Small Towns

Codification method and Categories of Content of the Baby-directed Maternal Speech

Abstract The maternal speech oriented to the baby has been widely studied due to its importance for the child’s development. In this article we present a research method and a set of content categories of maternal speech directed to the child. This methodological proposal is based on a survey of 80 dyads of mothers and babies, with and without postpartum depression (PPD). The distribution of frequency of the categories was similar in both groups. There was no statistical difference in the means of categories for mothers with and without PPD, indicating that there is no change in speech style due to maternal depression. In our view, these categories could be applied to study the speech of both healthy mothers and those with postpartum depression.

Autonomia-Relacionada como Tendência do Desenvolvimento do Self: Novas Evidências em um Contexto Brasileiro

RESUMO Estudos brasileiros sobre as trajetórias de desenvolvimento do self, em sua maioria com mães de crianças pequenas, indicam predominância do modelo de autonomia-relacionada (AR). Visando ampliar a investigação dessa tendência, foram realizados dois estudos: (a) com avós(ôs), mães, pais e filhos (16-25 anos) e (b) quatro grupos de cuidadoras de crianças com até um ano, com níveis de escolaridade diversos, selecionados não aleatoriamente. Observamos predomínio de características de self AR para todos os participantes. O efeito da escolaridade sobre autonomia foi confirmado para os pais, a AR de pais e filhos (estudo 1), e de mães (estudo 2). Mães criadas no Rio de Janeiro (capital) apresentaram maiores escores de autonomia. A consistência familiar de modelo de self autônomo-relacionado foi evidenciada.

Social Class, Workplace Experience, and Child-Rearing Values of Mothers and Fathers in Southern Brazil

We investigated associations among social class, parents’ work experiences, and their child-rearing values in a sample of mothers and fathers drawn from southern Brazil, testing Kohn’s hypothesis that parents who experience greater decision-making autonomy at work and who perceive their jobs to be more complex will be more likely to value self-direction and less likely to value conformity in their children. We also tested the hypothesis that the relation between social class and values would be mediated by workplace experiences. Participants included 68 parents (38 mothers, 30 fathers; 46 working class, 22 middle class) of 36-month-old children who were part of a longitudinal study. Correlation analyses revealed few associations among social class, workplace experiences, and child-rearing values among the mothers, but among the fathers these variables associated in the expected direction. The results also indicated that workplace experience mediates the relation between social class and values, although only for fathers. Our findings supported Kohn’s hypothesis regarding differences between social-class groups and highlighted that the relation between work experience and parental values varied by parents’ gender. Social and cultural issues regarding work context and parental values between women and men in southern Brazil are discussed.

Parental Expectations and Prosocial Behavior of Adolescents From Low-Income Backgrounds

Parental expectations are influenced by cultural models, which in turn are subject to a great influence from historically fluctuating features of the socioeconomic background. Parental expectations seem to be linked to children’s social and emotional development in terms of empathy and prosocial behavior. The current study aims to (a) compare low-income adolescents’ perceptions of parental expectations of prosocial and antisocial behavior across three Latin countries (Argentina, Colombia, and Spain), (b) compare the empathy and prosocial behavior between the three countries, (c) compare the prosocial behavior between the three countries, and (d) study the effect of perceived parental expectations and empathy on the prosocial behavior of adolescents in all three of the countries studied in this research. The sample was made up of 446 Argentinean adolescents, 474 Colombian adolescents, and 632 Spanish adolescents. The Expected Parental Reactions Scale, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Prosocial Behavior Questionnaire were used to measure the variables included in this study. Results reveal considerable differences between children’s perceptions of parental expectations in different countries. Results also show the existence of significant differences between male and female adolescents. In all three countries, girls score more highly than boys in prosocial behavior and empathy. Furthermore, we find that low-income Argentinean adolescents score more highly than Spanish and Colombian adolescents in prosocial behavior measures. Finally, expected parental reactions toward prosocial behavior and empathy seem to have an influence on the adolescents’ development of prosocial behavior in all three countries.

Dimensions of familial allocentrism in Brazilian mothers from state capitals and small cities

This study focuses on 606 Brazilian women's cultural models regarding their relation with their family, as evaluated by the Family Allocentrism Idiocentrism Scale (FAS). The scale was translated into Portuguese, submitted to back-translation and adapted. Analyses of the scale's structure indicated that the best fit model involves two independent factors. Univariate GLM (General Linear Model) analyses showed that the place where mothers were raised presented a significant effect on their scores on factor 1 (normative familial allocentrism). Mothers raised on rural areas have higher scores on this factor, than the ones raised on urban areas. The opposite occurred with factor 2 (relational familial allocentrism). The set of evidences indicate that the FAS may be a bi-dimensional measure. One dimension would be part of a more stable and basic model of relation to family, constructed during development. The second dimension would be related to more recent experiences and would be more readily affected by socio-cultural context changes, including in acculturation processes.

Profiles of Maternal Care Observed in a Group of Brazilian Mothers: an Exploratory Study

The aim of this study is to characterize profiles of maternal care in a sample of Brazilian mothers, using a culturalbiological perspective. Participants were 315 women who had at least one child younger than six years-old. They were selected from six Brazilian states. In each state, two groups of mothers were studied, one from the capital and one from a small city. They were interviewed and answered scales on allocentrism, social support, adult attachment, and practices of childcare. Mothers' characteristics, the type of context (capital vs. small city), and reported childcare practices were used in a Tree analysis. A Correspondence analysis was performed using the four clusters obtained and mothers' answers regarding their youngest child. Univariate GLM analyses were performed to compare mothers in the four clusters in terms of their scores on the different scales. Four maternal profiles presenting distinctive patterns of association between mothers' characteristics and care practices displayed to the youngest child were identified. We conclude that maternal care is a multi-determined phenomenon and that the method employed in this study can give insights into how the combination of diverse social-biological factors can result in a set of childcare practices.

Self-recognition and self-regulation: the relationship with socialization trajectories and children's sex

The initial process of self development involves interaction with others and the establishment of relationships taking different paths depending on the socio-cultural context. Self-recognition and self-regulation are considered manifestations of this development between 18 and 24 months of age. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship between these two aspects, maternal beliefs about autonomy and relatedness, as well as identifying differences between boys and girls in this developmental stage. Participants were 94 mothers of different educational levels and their children of 17-22 months of age in two Brazilian cities. Socialization Goals Inventory and Parental Practices in the First Year Inventory were used to collect data on mothers' beliefs. Children performed tasks related to self-recognition (the mirror test) and self-regulation (compliance to requests). The group of mothers studied valued both autonomy and interdependence. Children's responses are consistent with a perspective of relational autonomy, which value both independence and interdependence. Differences were found in relation to sex in both self-recognition and self-regulation, and baby girls showed superior performance than boys in both tasks.