O temperamento da criança e o apoio aos cuidados infantis estão relacionados com uma melhor qualidade do relacionamento mãe-filho

• Autor(a) principal: Yalcintas, Sumeyra
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Pike, Alison
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.21814/childstudies.4511
• topic: child temperament; mother-child relationship; household chaos; child-care support; relação mãe-filho; caos doméstico; apoio ao cuidado da criança; temperamento da criança

The current study identifies associates of mother-first-born-child relationship quality of an important period that is when expecting a second child. Based on Belsky’s determinants of parenting model (Belsky, 1984), we suggested three domains to relate to mother-child relationship quality, maternal personal resources (well-being, effortful control), child characteristics (temperament, behaviour problems) and contextual factors (household chaos, child-care support, marital satisfaction). Forty-five mothers (Mage= 34.78 years; SDage = 3.86 years) and their typically developing first-born children (Mchild age=32.26 months; SDage = 6.27) were visited at home in the south of England, Sussex, UK, where mothers completed questionnaires and mother-child interactions were videotaped. Results demonstrated that easier child temperament, better maternal well-being, less household chaos and more child-care support were related to more positive mother-child relationship quality. Together the variables explained 23% of the variance in relationship quality.  The child’s easy temperament, chaos and child-care support provided unique variance in explaining the mother-child relationship. These results contribute to the literature on expecting a second child and yield several implications. The findings also provide guidance for future intervention programs. In order to improve the mother-child relationship quality, child executive functioning may be a fruitful target for intervention, as well as increased support for child-care and decreased household chaos.