Two sides of intensive parenting: Present and future dimensions in contemporary relations between parents and children in Spain

Abstract

The objective of this article is to identify and analyse discourses in Spain on intensive parenting in the context of the changes that have taken place in relations between parents and their children in contemporary societies. To do this, the author analyses the discourses from 16 indepth interviews carried out with parents and from 14 focus groups of 11-and 12-year-old children. The article makes a distinction between two analytical dimensions of intensive parenting: intensive parenting for the future, which refers to the growing emphasis of parents on children's cognitive development and education, and intensive parenting for the present, which refers to supervision and protection of children in the face of unexpected events affecting their safety and well-being. The article addresses how the perception of new risks and uncertainties strongly encourages different forms of control and greater individualism as families attempt to maximize the advantages of their own members, generating increasingly inegalitarian effects.

Adolescent Perception of Maternal Practices in Portugal and Spain: Similarities and Differences

“…In conclusion, the maternal parenting typology developed through this study provided useful information about cultural specificities in socialization practices in Portugal and Spain. The results presented here support the growing body of empirical research, which outlines how parenting practices depend on cultural backgrounds [1,[18][19][20][21]31,65,66]. The description of the parental socialization styles characteristic of each country, due to their cultural influence, has implications for interventions.…”

Parenting and Adolescents’ Self-esteem: The Portuguese Context // Parentalidad y autoestima en la adolescencia: El contexto portugués

“…These discrepancies in the results seem to show the influence of culture on the relationship between parental socialization and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence, suggesting that the relationship between parenting styles and adolescent adjustment and well-being varies depending on the ethnic, socioeconomic or cultural context (Chao 1994;Espino, 2013;Garcia & Gracia, 2009Kazemi et al, 2010) and, therefore, the optimal parenting style will depend on the cultural environment in which parent-child relationships would generally develop (Berns, 2011;Sigelman & Rider, 2012;Weiten, Dunn, & Hammer, 2012;White & Schnurr, 2012). It has been suggested that people adjust better and are more satisfied in environments that match their attitudes, values, and experiences (Swanson & Fouad, 1999).…”

“…Estas discrepancias en los resultados parecen revelar la influencia de la cultura en la relación entre la socialización parental y el ajuste psicosocial de los adolescentes, lo que sugiere que la relación entre los estilos parentales y el ajuste y bienestar de los adolescentes varía según el contexto étnico, socioeconómico o cultural (Chao 1994;Espino, 2013;García y Gracia, 2009Kazemi et al, 2010) y, por lo tanto, el estilo parental óptimo dependerá del entorno cultural en el que las relaciones entre padres e hijos se desarrollen (Berns, 2011;Sigelman y Rider, 2012;Weiten, Dunn, y Hammer, 2012;Blanco y Schnurr, 2012). En este sentido, se ha sugerido que las personas se adaptan mejor y están más satisfechas en ambientes que respondan a sus actitudes, valores y experiencias (Swanson y Fouad, 1999); por ejemplo, dado que las familias de minorías étnicas pobres tienen más probabilidades de vivir en comunidades peligrosas, la parentalidad autoritaria puede no ser tan perjudicial e incluso puede conllevar algunos beneficios protectores para estos contextos peligrosos (Furstenberg, Cook, Eccles, Elder, y Sameroff, 1999).…”

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Changes in Parent–Child Activities at Home from Spring 2020 to Spring 2021 from a Cross-Cultural View

“…The Spanish culture has been characterized as being horizontal collectivist, where parents understand the individual self as part of the family self and emphasize the use of affection and involvement in children's socialization [78][79][80]. However, parenting is particularly concerned about children's safety and physical and emotional well-being, and multiple forms of control appear to be justified and considered necessary for children's security [81]. Education is crucial for Spanish families to optimize children's future possibilities [81].…”