There are many instruments available to measure parental sensitivity, however each has its own limitations. In search of a more efficient instrument, an adapted mini-MBQS is proposed, in which...Show moreThere are many instruments available to measure parental sensitivity, however each has its own limitations. In search of a more efficient instrument, an adapted mini-MBQS is proposed, in which parents sort the cards instead of professionals. In this study, parent’s accuracy to report about their own parental sensitivity with this adapted Q-sort was explored. Additionally, it has been explored whether sex of the parent and parental reflective functioning influence parent’s accuracy on the Q-sort. To answer these questions, two online home visits were conducted with twenty parent-child pairs. During the home visits parent and child played together. Afterwards, the parent sorted the Q-sort about how sensitive s/he thought s/he was to the child during the play task. The play task was recorded and later coded on parental sensitivity with the Ainsworth Maternal Sensitivity Scale by a professional. Furthermore, parents filled in a questionnaire between the two online home visits, which contained questions about the family’s background and parental reflective functioning. The results from parent-reported and observed sensitivity were compared, which showed a positive, but weak and non-significant correlation of .22, suggesting a mismatch between parent’s own judgement and that of a professional about the level of sensitive parenting. Next, two ANCOVAs were conducted and showed that sex of the parent (F (1,16) < .01; p = .95) and parental reflective functioning (F (1,16) = .06; p = .81) did not moderate the relationship between observed and parent-reported sensitivity. From these results, it can be concluded that parents are not accurate when reporting about their parental sensitivity with the Q-sort. In addition, the results showed that gender or self-reported level of parental reflective functioning do not influence this accuracy. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the current form of the adapted MBQS as an instrument to measure parental sensitivity.Show less
The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the amount of day care and the quality of mother-child relationship for babies around 12 months of age. It is important to...Show moreThe aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the amount of day care and the quality of mother-child relationship for babies around 12 months of age. It is important to investigate this relationship as many more parents use daycare for young children nowadays than in the past. The sample of the current study was a semi-random selection from a larger longitudinal study. The participants consisted of 70 mothers between 25 and 44 years old (M = 32.9 years, SD = 3.9) and their babies who where around 12 months old (M = 378.9 days, SD = 12.8). Based on earlier research, it was predicted that fewer hours of day care would be associated with a more secure attachment relationship. In addition, it was predicted that this relationship would be moderated by the temperament and the gender of the child. Mothers where invited to participate in the Babylab at the Leiden University. The Strange Situation Procedure (Ainsworth, 1978) was used to assess attachment quality and temperament was measured by the Dutch version of the Infant Characteristic Questionnaire (Kohnstam, 1984). Contrary to our hypothesis, it was found that infants who spent more than 20 hours of day care were more securely attached than infants who had less than 20 hours of day care. This difference was found not to be moderated by the level of temperamental difficultness or the gender of the infant. In conclusion, the current study takes a more positive view on more hours of day care for babies around 12 months old. Future research should include factors, such as quality of daycare and caregiver sensitivity, to further clarify the relationship between attachment quality and amount of daycare usage.Show less