No abstract

Children learn to understand gender categories and roles typical for women and men from the earliest stages of their life. Toys, by which they are surrounded in everyday routine, may have a significant role in their knowledge of cultural norms and societal expectations, but also might have a great impact on children’s health in the context of psychosocial development. Parental attitudes can also be an important moderator of the choice of gender-stereotyped toys. The aim of the study was to investigate parents’ perspectives on toys’ appropriateness for children according to gender, and to analyze parents’ knowledge about the labeling of toys in shops. In total, 526 parents from big cities participated in the study; to assess parental knowledge and perspectives on toys’ categorization, The World of Toys questionnaire was used. The results indicated that most parents from big cities observe that toys are arranged according to the child’s age and sex and the toys’ functionality. Moreover, in parents’ opinion, the compliance with the role of a woman or man affects categorization the most. Furthermore, both parents tended to attribute toys to both sexes more often than they believe the stores do. To conclude, despite the still visible division of toys in shops, Polish parents from big cities are more liberal and egalitarian than shops are when it comes to the perception of toys’ appropriateness, allowing children to play with most toys regardless of their sex.

Sensitive responsiveness refers to parents’ ability to recognize and respond to infants’ cues and has been linked to parental empathy. Additionally, oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are hormones important for sensitivity and empathy. The aim of this study is to test the links between dispositional empathy along with changing OT and AVP levels and responsiveness to a life-like doll in couples and to verify whether these factors are predictors of responsiveness to a child’s cues. Exploratory analyses include predictors of sensitive responsiveness: polymorphisms of OXTR, AVPR1a and CD38 genes, personal characteristics and relational factors. The project employs standardized experimental settings that can be used with non-parents and the assessment of parental sensitive responsiveness towards their child. The participants are couples expecting their first child (111) and childless couples (110). The procedure involves caretaking of a life-like doll. Salivary samples and questionnaire data are collected in a planned manner. In the second part, the expectant couples are invited for the assessment of their sensitivity to their own child (Free Play episodes). Parental sensitivity is assessed using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale. This paper presents an interdisciplinary research project that reaches beyond the questionnaire measurement, considering many factors influencing the dynamics of adult–infant interaction.

Over the last few decades, perceptions of fatherhood have changed significantly and expectations regarding fathers’ involvement in childcare have risen. Parenting is undoubtedly the source of many positive experiences, however, it can also be a stressful challenge. Thus, the way in which fathers deal with everyday life stress can significantly affect their parental attitudes. There is significant evidence that a child’s predisposition can modify parental attitudes and therefore relate to stress coping strategies. In the current study we tested a model of the reciprocal relationships between a father’s coping strategies, his parental attitudes, and his child’s individual traits (temperament and gender). The first model assumes that the father’s stress coping strategies and the child’s individual traits determine parental attitudes independently; the second model, assumes that parental attitudes will be influenced by coping strategies and that individual traits of the child will modify this relationship. A total of 176 Polish fathers ( Mfather’s age = 35.07, SD = 5.71) of only children of preschool age ( Mchildren’s age = 5.6, SD = .21; 88 girls, 88 boys) participated in the study. The following research tools were used: the Parental Attitudes Scale, to measure fathers’ attitudes towards their children; the Brief COPE, to evaluate fathers’ coping strategies; the EAS Temperament Questionnaire – Parental Ratings, to assess children’s temperaments. The results indicate that fathers had the highest scores for Inconsequent and Demanding parental attitudes and the lowest for Overprotective and Autonomy attitudes. Moreover, their attitudes towards daughters and sons were consistent, except for Autonomy. Furthermore, mediation analyses show that the child’s temperamental traits do not significantly modify the relation between a father’s coping strategies and parental attitudes. However, the results indicate that a father’s coping strategies and his child’s temperament affect the father’s parental attitudes independently. Differences depending on the child’s gender were also found.