An exploration of parenting styles, cultural values, and infant development in a sample of Latin American immigrants in Canada.

Abstract

The objectiveofthecurrent research wastoinvestigate the relationship between parenting style, culture, and infant development in a sample of Latin American mother-infant dyads in Toronto, Canada. We examined associations between mothers' self-reported parenting style and infantcognitive and socioemotional development, which we compared to results from mothers belonging to two other Canadian immigrant populations. We further examined whether specific cultural correlates, includingaffiliationwithtraditional Latinx cultural beliefs familism and fatalism and acculturation, were associated with positive parenting behaviors in the Latin American sample. Across all three cultural groups, authoritative parenting predictedadaptivesocio-emotionaldevelopment , an effect which differed in magnitude across groups, providing support for the hypothesis that the effect of parenting behaviors on infant development are moderated by culture. Within the Latin American sample, affiliation with the value of familism was associated with higher scores of authoritative parenting, butfamilism decreased as acculturation to the host culture increased. This research adds to our understanding of factors that contribute to the well-being of Latin American familiesinCanada. Findings carry implications for provision of infant mental health services to Latin American immigrant families by identifying cultural variables which should be considered when providing parenting interventions to make such interventions more culturally relevant.