Parenting beliefs about attunement and structure are related to observed parenting behaviours

Abstract

We compared self-reported parenting beliefs about caring for infants with observed parenting behaviours during play interactions between 32 parents and their infants. We measured parenting beliefs about the value of attunement and structure in caring for infants using the Baby Care Questionnaire (BCQ) (Winstanley & Gattis, 2013; Winstanley, Sperotto, Putnick, Cherian, Bornstein & Gattis, 2014). We used a micro-coding approach to distinguish between responsive parenting behaviours (maintaining infant attention) and demanding parenting behaviours (introducing or redirecting infant attention) (Landry, Garner, Swank & Baldwin, 1996). Attunement beliefs were positively related to responsive parenting behaviours and negatively related to demanding parenting behaviours. Structure beliefs were weakly related to demanding parenting behaviours. These results are an important first step toward identifying relations between self-reported parenting beliefs about attunement and structure and observed parenting behaviours.

The role of experience in parenting beliefs of British and Italian women during pregnancy

“…Our study focused on pregnancy as a foundational period for evaluating parenting beliefs. Building a better understanding of parenting beliefs during pregnancy and the transition to parenthood is important because beliefs influence parenting behavior and child outcomes (Galbally et al., 2018 ; Gattis et al., 2022 ; Teti & Gelfand, 1991 ; Winstanley & Gattis, 2013 ). Empirical studies of parenting beliefs during pregnancy are needed because most previous studies of parenting beliefs have been conducted with parents already engaged in the task of parenting (e.g., Haltigan et al., 2012 ; Morrell, 1999 ; Thompson et al., 2009 ).…”