This study examines the relationship between acculturation (i.e., host language proficiency), perceived discrimination, and parenting self-efficacy in a sample of 57 Turkish-Dutch mothers in the...Show moreThis study examines the relationship between acculturation (i.e., host language proficiency), perceived discrimination, and parenting self-efficacy in a sample of 57 Turkish-Dutch mothers in the Netherlands. Data were collected through questionnaires. This study found no effect of gender of the child on parenting self-efficacy. Educational level of the mother did seem to play a role: a higher educational level was predictive of more positive parenting self-efficacy. Furthermore, a significant positive relation between acculturation and parenting self-efficacy, a significant negative relation between acculturation and discrimination and a significant negative relation between discrimination and parenting self-efficacy were found. A possible role for discrimination as a mediator or a moderator in the relation between acculturation and parenting self-efficacy was examined, but there was no evidence for such roles of discrimination. These findings suggest that optimization of the acculturation process is important for immigrant families and that possible experiences of discrimination should be minimized, as it is shown that acculturation and discrimination play a role in mothers’ self-efficacy in parenting.Show less
Empirical evidence shows that maternal sensitivity and child attachment are universal phenomena and cross-cultural differences in its quality have been examined extensively. However, less is known...Show moreEmpirical evidence shows that maternal sensitivity and child attachment are universal phenomena and cross-cultural differences in its quality have been examined extensively. However, less is known about cultural differences or similarities in maternal beliefs about sensitive parenting. The current study tested the hypothesis that mothers from Zambia, Moroccan immigrant mothers in the Netherlands and Dutch mothers generally have similar beliefs about sensitive parenting. The total sample consisted of 75 mothers with at least one child between 6 months and 6 years old. Maternal views about an ideal mother assessed with the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (Pederson, Moran, & Bento, 1999) showed high agreement between the groups of mothers. In addition, in all groups of mothers the sensitivity beliefs showed strong overlap with the notion of a highly sensitive mother as described by experts in the field of child and family studies. These findings suggest that sensitive parenting is seen as ideal across cultural and ethnic groups, which implies that it might be possible to use the same interventions and measurements for maternal sensitivity in different ethnic and cultural contexts.Show less
