The development of empathy is an important foundation for the development of the child. Maternal sensitivity can play an important role in the development of empathy in children. A parent who is...Show moreThe development of empathy is an important foundation for the development of the child. Maternal sensitivity can play an important role in the development of empathy in children. A parent who is warm, trustworthy, and empathetic towards the child sets a good example for the child. This would allow children to show more empathy themselves. It is important to do more research on the relation between maternal sensitivity and empathy in children by using a sample from different ethnic backgrounds, because most studies used a sample of white, European, and American families. This study mainly examined the relation between maternal sensitivity and children's empathy. In addition, it was investigated whether this relation is the same for white-Dutch, Afro-Dutch and Turkish-Dutch families. A subsample of 208 mothers and children was used for this study. The mother's sensitivity was measured during a collaborative task in which the parent and child had to build two example models with Kapla blocks together. The child’s empathy was measured with the Griffith Empathy Measure questionnaire. Results showed that mothers from an ethnic majority group showed more sensitivity than mothers from ethnic minority groups. Furthermore, children's empathy did not differ across ethnic groups. Also, there appeared to be a positive trend between maternal sensitivity and children's empathy for both ethnic majority and ethnic minority groups. No significant interaction effect was found between ethnicity and maternal sensitivity in relation to children’s empathy. The current study emphasizes the importance of increasing maternal sensitivity within ethnic minority groups by using interventions, because a limited sensitivity may be a bad influence for the development of the child. Follow-up research should investigate the child's empathic behavior further so that interventions can be developed effectively and adequately to increase the child's empathic behavior.Show less
This study examined the link between maternal and paternal sensitivity and child compliance and the moderation of maternal and paternal non-intrusiveness on the association between sensitivity and...Show moreThis study examined the link between maternal and paternal sensitivity and child compliance and the moderation of maternal and paternal non-intrusiveness on the association between sensitivity and child compliance. The sample was a subsample of the longitudinal study ‘Boys will be Boys’. Data were collected during a home visit with mother and father separately. The current sample consists of 100 Dutch two-parent families with 57 boys and 43 girls aged between 2.5 and 3.5 years. Mothers’ and fathers’ observed sensitivity and non-intrusiveness were assessed with the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS) (Biringen, 2008). Compliance of the child was assessed during a ‘no touch’ session. No difference was found between mothers and fathers regarding sensitivity and non-intrusiveness. Also, no significant association was found between sensitivity or non-intrusiveness of the parents and compliance of the child. The interaction between sensitivity and non-intrusiveness was also not associated with child compliance. The lack of significant results indicates that other parenting or child factors, like age, gender or education might be implicated in child compliance.Show less
